Truth or Dare
by frozenwhispers
Summary: "I dare you to make out with Sora for one minute." Four years later, the memory of a drunken dare still gets under Sora's skin. Not because he's straight and Riku's gay. That's just been a given from the start. More because Sora actually liked it.
1. Chapter 1: The Dare

**Co-author's note**: This story was written entirely as a roleplay between my girlfriend and myself on Tumblr. I wrote Sora's part, and she took Riku. While every effort has been made to correct actual grammatical mistakes, we really didn't have time to compile this into a one-sided POV type thing. Instead, roleplay posts will be separated by "o - o" marks (or ~ o ~ to indicate passage of time). IDK, I think it still flows pretty well this way.

Comments and reviews are definitely welcome, but keep in mind the context in which these were written before saying our ability to piece together a story sounds choppy. This was just a bit of fun on our part. A lot of people on Tumblr seemed to like it too. Enjoy.

Rated M for sexually explicit scenes in later chapters. Gotta love SoRiku, ne?

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><p>Alcohol was interesting. It effectively played tricks on his mind like no other substance he'd yet tried did; and he'd tried quite a few. Let's be frank, it was quite boring being him at the prep school he attended, and when your family had money it was easy to… entertain yourself when you became bored.<p>

His parents were just lawyers, though. That didn't compare to his friends' parents who were politically entangled with affairs of the state. When their parents went out of town, the house parties involved free gin, and professionally prepared hors d'oeuvres that were often puked up in the garden later on. Of course, no one really cared because the gardener would clean it up in the morning, no?

Of course, this was the group he ran with, always had and, if his parents had anything to say on the matter, always would. They were the rich, the powerful, the connected, and he was imperceptibly less off than they, not that he would ever admit to it. They had everything, and he had… almost everything.

Sora never seemed to notice that, though. He never brought up the fact that he was better off than Riku, or better connected. Never mentioned that he was in a higher class, and that his parents were probably the richest of all of their friends' and the closest to power of any of them. No, naively he just seemed to be Riku's friend; a real friend, if such a thing existed in their group. It was strange the way that made him feel, but also unimportant in the grand scheme of things… wasn't it?

Of course, like any other party, this one devolved the more fucked up people got. The whole room spun around him as he lifted his gin soaked martini, and shouted, "DARE!"

What the hell, right? He was drunk, none of it really mattered.

Namine eyed him playfully, she'd been flirting with him all night, and it made him uncomfortable. Luckily, she could do nothing with him herself without giving away her own interests, which is why he'd given her the option to dare him to do anything at all. A small smirk lifted one corner of her mouth, and he dreaded all of the things she could still pull on him in that moment. What was he about to get himself into?

"I dare you to make out with Sora for one minute," came her reply. Doom.

"Make-out," he asked, stalling for time. What if one of them had a camera phone on them? What if someone outside saw? What if his parents found out? His parents words played through his mind, as though they'd known all along. 'It's disgusting, Riku. An abomination! A sin! It's of the devil; wrong, wrong, wrong.' "Alright," he answered, stubbornly. He'd show them. No big deal, really, since him and Sora were just friends.

He couldn't look at Sora as Namine pulled out her smart-phone, though. "Ready when you are," she sang, a wicked look on her face.

Turning to Sora, he practically pounced, lunging at the brunette before his friend could get away, and lose him this drunken, childish game. Of course, the rule with making-out in dares, they all knew, was that the timer didn't start until someone's tongue had penetrated the other's mouth. So with only minimal hesitation, he pressed his tongue into his best friend's mouth without asking for permission, and the cheer that went up around them as a result of it sounded remarkably strange in his ears.

It was just a dare, he told himself, but that other voice, the quieter one that he usually kept to himself, mocked him. Is it? Is it really just a dare? Why were you so eager to do it, then? Of course it was just a dare. It couldn't be anything else. The butterflies in his stomach, the burning in his sides, and the hand on Sora's face that he hadn't realized he'd placed there screamed otherwise though. With a jolt, he realized it, pulling away abruptly.

Not before a part of his mind realized, however, that Sora had been kissing him back.

The whole group 'awed' around him, as he stared confusedly into blue eyes. He almost didn't hear Namine's irritatingly triumphant tone, as she declared him the loser, and passed the giant glass of beer his way. Without even looking at it, he picked it up and accepted his punishment for losing… downing it in two swallows and completely aware of the fact that if his actions didn't make him puke later that night this drink certainly would.

~ o ~

The kisses started off lightly on the base of his throat. As Kairi's lips moved up his jawline in slow procession, Sora found himself holding his breath. It created a dizzying sensation that could be felt even though he was lying down.

Kairi reached his lips and pressed them against Sora's mouth gently at first, with increasing urgency as the minutes wore on. Sora couldn't be sure when exactly she'd straddled him. Kairi was pretty light and he hadn't initially noticed the change in pressure. Not until she'd started grinding his lap, at least.

He'd let out a groan then, his body temperature rising exponentially the more she persisted.

At the sound, Kairi had stopped, regarding him with wide, mischievous eyes. Her face looked about as flushed as his felt, and Sora grabbed for her, pulling her back down to him, his mouth now hungrily searching for hers.

It was then that he felt it, the lightest fluttering of a touch, her hand on his face. And quite suddenly, Sora found himself pulled back into a memory, now almost five years gone and removed.

_His parents had been out of town._

_His parents were always out of town. That meant parties with his friends. Alcohol. Ridiculous dares._

"_I dare you to make out with Sora for one minute."_

_He hadn't been paying attention. The alcohol was enough to leave him floating, not really keeping tabs on anything else happening within the room._

_At the sound of his name, Sora sat up straighter, looked around to try to gauge who'd just been dared and push away the disorientation that threatened to completely engulf him. _

_It was Namine who'd spoken, and considering how Kairi wasn't even looking his direction at the moment, it probably wasn't going to be her._

_Sora followed her gaze across their circle of friends until it rested squarely on…Riku?_

_They were kidding, right? They had to be kidding. Riku was his friend and, well, a guy._

_Riku didn't seem as phased. "Alright," he said, and Sora's eyes widened as the meaning sunk in. _

_He'd wanted to shake his head, to somehow back out. It wasn't HIS dare. This had to be against the rules. But before he could voice a protest, Riku's mouth was on Sora's, his tongue probing between his lips._

_People were cheering good-naturedly. Sora could vaguely hear it in the background. His ears were buzzing though, muffling his friends' hoots and cat-calls. _

_I'm kissing Riku. Riku's tongue is in my mouth._

_The thoughts repeated themselves like a broken record, over and over in his head. His cheeks were burning and an intensely pleasurable sensation was pressing down, from his chest to his stomach to his…_

_Their tongues touched, Riku's confident, Sora's more tentative, and Sora found himself leaning forward, kissing Riku back now, friends completely forgotten. His pants were beginning to feel uncomfortably tight. And then Riku placed a hand almost lovingly on his face._

_Riku's subsequent jerky retreat left Sora panting, almost breathless, as he stared at his friend, cheeks burning._

"_Only 38 seconds. You lose!" Namine's voice rang through his head. _

_All at once, it seemed as if the sound had been turned back on. His friends' amused lamentations over Riku's loss made him feel even more light-headed by the second._

_And Riku? Riku wasn't looking at him at all anymore._

_A giggle bounced off the nearby stairwell, and Sora turned jerkily toward it._

"_That was soooo gay of you, Sora."_

_His twelve year old sister gave him a wide-mouthed grin that elicited another round of laughter from the room's other occupants. He could've killed her._

"_Shut up, Mai. What do you know?" he snapped instead, speaking in the broken Japanese they'd learned as children from their mother. With luck, at least half of his friends wouldn't understand. Maybe the other half wouldn't be paying attention._

_He glanced back at Riku, looking for a sign, for any hint of an expression to explain what had just happened and what he'd just felt. Riku wouldn't meet his gaze though, and was busy downing what looked like two liters of beer, his punishment for having lost the dare._

_Without thinking, Sora had stood. "Be right back," he muttered miserably, although no one seemed to be listening. He made his way to the stairwell, past a still giggling Mai and up toward the nearest main floor bathroom. This night couldn't end soon enough._

He'd been spacing out, and Sora knew it. In fact, he hadn't even noticed how Kairi had been sliding further down his lap, until she'd slipped off entirely onto the floor in front of him. It was only when he felt the tightening and subsequent release of his belt buckle that Sora really snapped out of his thoughts and took into account just what was going on, right here, right now.

"Kairi," he said, his voice holding a warning tone.

The girl before him had just smiled. "Don't worry. I want to."

Yeah, well that was part of the problem, wasn't it? He just couldn't really figure out the why or how. And the only image in his head right now was the look that had been on Riku's face the moment he'd pulled out of their first kiss so long ago.

Before he could lose his nerve, Sora grabbed Kairi's hands, pushing them away from his jeans and re-cinching his belt. A second later he was on his feet, an apologetic look on his face. Kairi's expression was, on the other hand, uninterpretable, maybe a little disappointed?

What could he say that would sound half-way reasonable? 'I'm not ready yet' sounded weak at best. Wasn't it every guy's dream to get head from their girlfriend? Christ, what was wrong with him?

"Sorry. I'm sorry," he blurted as he stepped over her and made for the door. He couldn't deal with this now, couldn't let her do this for him when he was so distracted by something else.

Out the door and down the hall without a second glance back, Sora almost didn't realize where he was headed until he'd burst into Riku's unlocked dorm room and seen his friend present in the room himself.

Face flushed, Sora stood in the middle of Riku's doorframe, only able to stare and offer his friend a short, breathless "hi."

o - o

If he'd said that the whole Sora barging into his dorm-room with pink cheeks and a face that looked like he'd been busy doing something athletic, he hoped, was a welcome sight… well, he'd never admit that it partly was, but he'd readily tell anyone who would listen that it definitely wasn't.

"What the hell, Sora," he growled, slamming his laptop shut angrily so that his friend wouldn't guess what he'd been looking at, or that he didn't want the brunette to see it. He turned, crossing his arms and legs at the same moment, and looking up inquisitively at his long-time friend.

"Where's the fire," he finally added, smirking at Sora's expression.

He couldn't help it. Lately, seeing the brunette all flustered or upset gave him some sort of vindictive pleasure, that made him feel guilty at the same time that it pleased him. Honestly, he wasn't sure what was going on, and strangely he did know that he still cared about Sora… loved him, in fact. What a life. To fall for a straight guy…

o - o

Still out of breath, Sora gave Riku a confused look for a moment, not really registering that his friend was lightly teasing him. "Oh, um, sorry," he said. "Guess I should've knocked, ha?"

Scooting his way over to Riku's bed, Sora plopped down onto his stomach, watching Riku intently from his lower vantage point. His friend was at his computer, no doubt getting a head start on whatever homework he'd been assigned for the day. Sora knew Riku wasn't anything even close to a nerd, but his parents pushed him hard and it seemed like Riku was happy to get them off his back by ensuring he had a steady stream of good grades coming in each semester. It'd been the same in high school.

"Homework before dinner? That's brutal, man," Sora drawled, taking in a few quiet deep breaths as he began to mentally calm his frayed own nerves. "Kairi and I totally haven't even started ours yet."

Lazily, Sora turned onto his back, kicking his shoes off and patting down a few out of place tufts of hair from his little…excursion, earlier on. For whatever reason, his heart was still racing, but by now he'd gotten used to the familiar feeling. It happened just about every time he was in Riku's presence, after all.

o - o

He couldn't help that his eyes rolled automatically at Sora's reply, or that his lungs released an exasperated sigh when the brunette threw that smaller, athletic body onto a bed that was not his own. The last guy that was in that bed, actually, got exactly the treatment that Riku would practically kill to give to the body that was currently in it… deep breath to calm himself as Sora's question brought him back to the present. Of course, he had to ignore the fact that his friend had to bring Kairi into this, as usual.

"Yeah," he responded, sarcasm thick in his voice. "Homework… all caught up now, though. I can party later, if I want." He winked at Sora when he mentioned a party, not actually sure if there was one, or if he even cared.

Really, he was mentally trying to distract himself from the fact that the brunette was in his room, at all. The all-nighter he'd have to pull tonight to finish his paper didn't even register at that moment, nor did the fact that Sora had the same paper due the next morning.

o - o

Maybe it was strange for friends to talk to one another with such obvious sarcasm, and sometimes even vitriol, but by now Sora was quite used to his best friend's personality. If he let every little jibe, every single eye roll get to him, they would've stopped being friends a long time ago.

It was still a little weird for him to think of Riku as gay, honestly. As Kairi'd lamented a bit before, he'd have made such a ladies man. It was totally true too, if any of Kairi's girlfriend were an indication. They were all practically falling over one another to convince Kairi to introduce them. Like they thought they could make Riku change his mind about his attractions.

…you couldn't do that, right? At least, Sora didn't think it was possible. Everything was so confusing. Frustrating. A mystery.

At the mention of partying, Sora sat up on his elbows, freshman year memories still immediate in his mind.

"Hey, Riku," he said, his voice turning upward already in the question he planned to ask. When he was sure he had his friend's attention, Sora continued. "Do you remember how Namine got you to do that dare at one of our parties back in high school?"

He tried to keep his voice nonchalant and light. Sora actually wasn't sure what Riku's reaction to that would be. Maybe it'd been a mistake to bring it up. Maybe it'd piss him the hell off to be reminded of a time before he'd been out as gay in their school. Maybe it was even humiliating for him.

But it hadn't been for Sora. It'd been just about the opposite of an unpleasant experience, although he didn't understand why. Then again, when did he understand anything these days anymore?

o - o

A dare came immediately to mind, especially when it was Sora asking him that particular question, but Riku kept it to himself choosing to obviously roll his eyes, yet again.

"As I recall, Sora," he started, half wondering if he was ever not sarcastic with his friend nowadays, "Namine got me to do quite a few dares at quite a few parties in high school."

It did not in any way matter that the dare that came immediately to mind might be the one Sora was talking about. No, what mattered is that it might not be the one he was talking about, because Riku would never bring that one up without first being forced to do so. That moment was personal for him; a realization. Something he was pretty sure that Sora, friend or no, would never understand.

So letting an arrogant smirk slip onto his lips, he finished, "You'll have to be a little more specific than that."

o - o

His heart was in his throat as he hung onto every word Riku said. Either Riku didn't know which dare Sora was referencing or he really didn't want to talk about it again.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

What the hell was he doing?

Sora let out a weak laugh in response, half-hearted at best. "Yeah, she did, didn't she? Namine was always a little insane about her dares."

He dropped off his elbows with a bit of a thud, back onto Riku's dorm bed. It wasn't big, but they'd curled up and slept together in far smaller spaces when they were kids, Sora remembered that much.

When had so much changed that his best friend was starting to become a stranger to him, Sora wondered. And was it his fault that it was happening? It was true Sora didn't go out of his way to ask Riku about his personal life. He figured just sitting together in some of their classes and occasionally grabbing a meal in the dorms together was enough.

But was it? He'd been so wrapped up with Kairi lately, Sora was starting to realize he really didn't know what Riku did on the nights Kairi stayed over, or when they went home early from parties they'd shown up at together.

Well, now was as good a time as any to try to patch things up, he thought. Maybe.

"So…how're things lately?" he asked, groping for the right words and desperately hoping he didn't dig himself a deeper hole than he'd already started. "Any boyfriend prospects cropping up yet?" He cringed a little at how awkward his own words sounded.

"I mean, it's not as if everyone here's a conservative douchebag about stuff like the people back home…"

o - o

A part of him was relieved when Sora dropped the subject he'd just been edging around, and another part of him wanted to get up and slap the brunette across the face. Really? Why bring that up now, of all times? His expression hardened, his friend's face turned the wrong direction to see it happen, and he considered standing up and escorting Sora out. The problem with that was… of course, he wanted his friend to stay. Just… not for the same reasons he was sure said friend wanted to stay.

"Mmm…" he agreed as the brunette pointed out the obvious about the college they were at. There were too many curiosities that had yet to be fulfilled for the place to be as conservative as it had been back home. Though, really, that just meant that he could be slightly more open about his preferences instead of sneaking around in bathrooms with boys who wouldn't admit to their own inclinations when it came to sexual favors.

"No boyfriends yet, no," he answered finally; short and to the point. He considered adding that there were plenty of partners though, and that he wasn't hurting in the options department. Even inhaled to add that part, but decided in the end to just keep it to himself. It wouldn't cause the subtle pain he would be hoping to inflict with those words if he spoke them, anyways. Sora likely wouldn't feel jealous, just uncomfortable.

So he pursed his lips, sealing the words away. He didn't know what else to say.


	2. Chapter 2: Sink or Swim

**Co-author's note**: Short chapter this time. Sorry. Sometimes that's just how it hangs. Next one is a wee bit longer though. Rejoice!

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><p>General ed courses, in short, blew.<p>

Maybe not for someone like Riku. He'd always seemed to find academics pretty easy. But for Sora, every assignment seemed like it'd been specially designed to emotionally torture him. Freshman comp's papers were way too long. Calc II made no damn sense.

And the way Kairi was looking at him now from two chairs over was making his heart skip a beat — and not in a good way.

Fleetingly, Sora wondered if it really was possible for looks to kill.

He hadn't meant to avoid her for an entire week. Not really. But with the insistency of homework and official team soccer practices, Sora hadn't really had much time for anything else.

Besides, it wasn't like he had seen much of Riku lately either. He'd more than a little wormed his way into a gaping hole of awkward the last time they were alone together, and he had no wish to repeat the feat. What had he honestly been thinking, considering bringing up that stupid dare in the first place, Sora wondered. How dumb could he possibly be?

Now, as the class came to an end, Sora gathered up his books, hardly noticing that Kairi had rushed to leave ahead of him. Following Riku toward the door, Sora sighed heavily, an obvious sign of his frustration.

"I'm just not getting this crap lately," he complained. "I'm going to fail our next test without some serious intervention."

When Riku didn't jump to respond, Sora forged on, hopping a little bit in front of his friend so he could open the door on their way out.

"Can we study sometime, maybe?" There was a hopeful edge to his voice. "I mean, only if you have time. I don't want to be holding you back…"

He practically collided with Kairi on the other side of the door.

"Jesus, Kai, sorry," he spluttered, but Kairi had already backed up, arms crossed tightly over her chest and face set in an unforgiving expression. Behind her stood two friends of hers Sora vaguely recognized.

"You're not," she said accusingly.

Sora blinked stupidly, not having the slightest clue what she was going on about.

"I'm not what?" he asked, flicking his gaze from Kairi to Riku and back again, as though he might find the answer somewhere between them.

Bad idea. That really set her off.

"Sorry," she exploded. "You're not really sorry, are you? You blew me off last Tuesday while we were…together." She'd hesitated only a moment, as though trying to find the appropriate word to say before hurrying on. "And then I find out from Elysia that you were with HIM the whole time."

She thrust her hand out, index finger pointing accusingly in Riku's direction. Before he could even think to try to control it, Sora's face flushed a hue of red.

"I just…I needed some space. You don't understand," he said, voice beseeching her to do just that.

Kairi's jawline set hard, unyielding. "No! It's you who doesn't understand, Sora. How long do I have to wait for you to start actually acting like my boyfriend? Why are you always bringing HIM into the picture? We're not 10 anymore, for god's sake. Riku can deal without you hanging off him for more than 5 damn minutes."

Stunned, Sora's mouth opened but no sound came out.

"I'm done, Sora. I've had enough. Come back when you actually want to start acting like a man for once." She whirled away from him and dashed off, her friends in close pursuit behind her.

Face burning and feeling like the royal fuck-up he knew he actually was, Sora couldn't make himself look up at Riku, or even to try to guess what he might be thinking. "Never mind," he muttered, his tone clearly reflecting his downtrodden mood as he started inching slowly away. "I can figure out how to study on my own."

o - o

After their last conversation, the dreams that Riku used to have about his best friend, sometimes most embarrassingly during nights that Sora slept over, began to revisit his mind. Every day this week he'd awoken from some dream that had made him desperate to find a new distraction, only to run into a newly clingy brunette. Not that Sora wasn't always a little clingy, but since Kairi had more or less claimed him for herself the two of them usually made themselves scarce. Though there were times, and he'd swear the bitch did it on purpose, that he would find the two of them kissing when he least wanted to, or could not handle it at all.

He'd looked around, knowing there were guys he could disappear into for a night, dominate, control, and then leave; as usual. Then he would forget, at least for a little while.

But there was Sora, again, right in front of him after class. Just when he was about to think of some clever way to get rid of the brunette for the evening so he could hunt down a more promising distraction, Kairi happened. She'd obviously been waiting there for them both, and the accusing look that she gave him when it was her who'd happily stolen Sora right out from under his nose in the first place was rich.

Perhaps the smirk had been a bad idea, but it slipped off of his face the moment that a crestfallen Sora turned to leave him. It was one thing to try to get under a happy Sora's skin, but when his closest friend (not to mention long-time crush) looked that defeated he couldn't really stand it. His anger with the two of them boiled over on Kairi's end, and he found that he could not think nice things about her at all. Sora, however, was earning a bit of his forgiveness… a bit.

"Sora, wait up," he called. In the moments he'd stood to think this over, his friend had actually managed to get a little bit away from him. He caught up to him easily, his long legs easily making up the distance. "I have some time to study with you later. I mean, I was going to go to a party, but… yeah. We can study."

That little voice in the back of his mind though made him wonder what exactly he was doing…


	3. Chapter 3: Interim

**Nic**: Hi again guys. Wow, look at the faves and story alerts. Brought a smile to both of our faces, actually.

If you guys are enjoying it, lucky for you we have something crazy like 25,000 words of this written. It's just a matter of me compiling the individual posts to publish up on here.

Also, reviews are welcome. Obviously. :)

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><p>"Tangents with Parametric Equations."<p>

Sora made a gagging sound. When that failed to elicit a response from Riku, Sora forged onward. He grasped his throat between his hands, wheezing and sticking his tongue out one side of his mouth for good measure. Then, in quite dramatic fashion, he collapsed onto Riku's bed and went still as stone.

For a second anyway. A moment later he had bounced back up, an oversized pout across his lips.

"No, seriously. I'm going to fail this class," he said, desperation clear in his voice. "I wanna go into advertising. I don't even need this class," his tone turned plaintive. Or maybe just whiny.

Of course, they both knew why he was taking it. It was the same reason Riku probably was. Sora's parents wanted him to double major, in Political Science and Electrical Engineering. It opens more doors if you're eligible to take the patent bar after law school, they'd said. And Sora'd never protested.

But Riku was better at math than him. Always had been. Riku wasn't the one who needed to review these concepts. And he was probably going to miss a party, just to help out his friend.

If Sora hadn't been feeling guilty already….well.

"Um, sorry also…about Kairi, I mean," he said, his tone more somber now as he pulled a notebook and pencil out of his bookbag. "That was mostly my fault. I'm pretty much a fuck up when it comes to her lately."

There. He'd said it. It'd been the one subject (apart from maybe The Dare) that Sora almost never brought up with Riku, just as Riku never seemed to bring up his own relationship problems. But Sora couldn't just let it stand the way it was. It'd been embarrassing, but Riku had ended up getting dragged into it. He needed, somehow, to let Riku know he was going to make it better. Just as soon as he could figure out how.

o - o

He was about to point out that maybe, just maybe, if Sora just did his homework instead of agonizing about it he might not be in the pickle he was in, but he pursed his lips. There was a kind of frustration that sat between them as his brunette friend flopped around on his bed, and the first response to that would have been to pin the young man down and silence him with a kiss. That would not do in this instance.

Perhaps he could find a nice way of telling Sora to shut up, but he couldn't really think of one. So while the other male bitched about school, class, whatever, Riku just rolled his eyes and sighed, jotting down the answer to the last problem on his own sheet of paper, since he'd seen no reason to bother doing his own homework before now.

Just as he was considering other nicer than his usual ways of pointing out that whining wasn't going to help his grades any, the room fell silent. Well, perhaps he wouldn't have to say anything after all, he thought. He glanced up at Sora to see what the reason for the silence actually was, only to find those blue eyes locked on his. Wow, his friend really was coming into his own, wasn't he? Jeez… His lips were slightly parted as he stared, wishing, as he used to do so often before he'd tried to push his friend away, that Sora had been more like him.

The apology sent a spur of annoyance into his chest for reasons Riku wasn't exactly capable of understanding, but he clenched his teeth to keep from saying the first venomous thing that fell onto his tongue, choosing instead to shake his head.

"Whatever," he said, as though it didn't matter in the slightest. He turned to check the time. If he changed in the next half hour or so, he could still make that party tonight. Would Sora be done with him by then? Or could he drag his long-time friend along? That could be interesting, actually. Let him see the kinds of things that he did with his free time nowadays, since the brunette seemed so intent on getting to know him again, lately.

Lately… the word played back in his mind, got his attention. He paused in his calculations of his friends, looking at him for the first time in a while. Sora looked… well, he looked like he always did when something wasn't going his way, but crestfallen was still a good word for it. Like he was about to give up on something he'd put a lot of effort into, perhaps.

"Lately," he asked, pushing the sarcastic tone aside the best he knew how, though not entirely successfully. It didn't matter much, anyways. Sora always seemed to be oblivious to his sarcasm, and nasty quips no matter when or how he used them. It was kind of frustrating, really. How could he push someone away when that someone ignored the methods he used to do so?

o - o

"Yeah." Totally oblivious to any sarcasm his friend's tone might've held, Sora twisted over onto his stomach, elbows propped up on his open math book, now forgotten in front of him.

"I mean, we've been dating for awhile now, right, me and Kairi."

Who else would you be talking about, dumbfuck? Jeez. Okay, so maybe he hadn't needed to say the last part.

He took a deep breath.

"It's just that, I dunno, I don't want to ruin our friendship. And I keep thinking every time we're together — you, uh, know what I mean by 'together,' right?" he paused here to eye Riku with a bit of a blush creeping onto his cheeks. "It's just Idon'."

He finished in a rush, face burning now, unable to believe he'd actually just said it. Assuming Riku could even understand that garble of words he'd just spit out, that is.

Sora looked down at his math text.

"It's just that things were so much easier in high school when all we had to deal with were parties and stupid dares," he muttered.

o - o

Again with the dare. Sora couldn't seem to avoid mentioning that dare, lately, could he? Riku found that he couldn't look at his friend after he spilled his insecurities out between the two of them. He couldn't even think, really. What did he mean by that 'those things that boyfriends were supposed to do with their girls' bit? Of course, the moment he thought that the realization hit him square in the face, and his cheeks reddened at the idea of it. He had certainly not needed that thought tonight of all nights.

He got up abruptly, turning to his closet for a distraction. "Maybe," he said, trying to respond to his friend who had just finished pouring his insecurities into Riku's lap, after all. "Maybe a party is just what you need tonight, Sora."

Finding the top he was looking for, he unhooked it from its hanger, and turned, tossing it onto the brunette's waiting body where it lay on his bed before turning to find the clothes he'd planned to wear that night; tight leather pants, and a fitted, mesh top. Maybe Sora would keep him from getting laid tonight… maybe, but he was damn well going to look hot if that was the case. And with any luck, they'd both be too drunk to remember how awkward the room around them felt in the morning.

o - o

"Oh shit, your party. I almost forgot." Sora sat up in bed, with a sheepish look on his face. They'd hardly been studying much at all, but at this point in time, he couldn't imagine going back to his calc homework right now. The test wasn't for another few days anyway. He could study some other time. Or figure out how to learn it telepathically or something. Yeah.

Before he could issue another apology and slink off to his dorm room (or get sucked into a giant hole in the floor…you know, whatever), Riku began talking again and a second later Sora was hit half in the face with a piece of apparel that he was apparently supposed to put on.

"You mean, I can come?" His voice was hopeful, although by now Sora knew Riku wouldn't say something he didn't mean. Somewhat shyly, Sora shrugged off his t-shirt and into the shirt he'd been thrown. The material was shiny, and red, with transparent fabric sewn into both of the sides from the waist up until his underarms. Compared to his baggy jeans and the things he typically wore, it was definitely a little out of place on the teenager.

"Jesus, this thing's tight," he said, pretty certain his face was the same color as the shirt's material by now. "Does it look okay on me, at least?"

Dude, what a gay question to ask, he thought. A moment later it was shame burning into Sora's otherwise pristine complexion. What a shithead thing to say, considering that's exactly what Riku was…

"Or…er, never mind," he said, uncomfortably adjusting the material and wishing it didn't show off a sliver of flesh at his waist before his jeans kicked in and covered up the rest. The realization that probably a whole lot more skin would show in the get-up on Riku's longer torso certainly wasn't helping matters any.

He willed himself to think of something — anything — else.

"So…what kind of party is this, again?"

o - o

He wasn't paying much attention to Sora as he babbled. In truth, he was trying to ignore the fact that the brunette would be in the same room as him while Riku changed into the tight, form-fitting pants, and the aquamarine shirt meant to compliment his own green eyes. So when he turned around, shirt in his hands and pants newly in place, it was a surprise to see his friend looking so… revealing. Well, that hadn't exactly been the shirt he'd thought it had been, but then again it was far, far better.

"That looks good on you," he said, half dazed. "Yeah."

Tearing his eyes away from the boy who he hadn't seen this much of since they were boys, playing immature, half-drunk dares in their parents living rooms, he lifted his own shirt over his head before moving to the mirror so that he could check the state of his hair. Really, he hadn't done anything that would disturb the work he'd done on it that morning, so there wasn't much left to do. Smooth a spot out here and there, and he was done.

Turning, he responded to Sora's question automatically. "Just a dorm party, you know. Bunch of guys from the fraternity across the way making a ruckus." He turned to face the brunette, casually looking him up and down before heading for his door. "It started about two hours ago, so it might be worth heading to now. What do you think? Is it a good night to get drunk, Sora?"

No matter what his friend answered, for Riku it was definitely a good night for that. He needed to get his mind off of how hot Sora looked in that shirt, because it wasn't just tight and a little revealing; it was his shirt. Above all else, that made it so much hotter than he thought it would. He definitely needed a shot of something hard… now.


	4. Chapter 4: Alcohol & Indiscretion

Nic again. Hi. Wow, we've gotten lots of views (and a review!). So cool.

Glad you guys are liking it. I mean, what's not to love about oblivious Sora and sexy but lovestruck Riku? But still.

Just the obligatory note that neither Tatiana nor I condone under-age drinking. We're just aware that it happens. Who knew?

* * *

><p>Tonight was definitely a good night to get drunk, indeed. Anything to take his mind off the utter shitstorm that had occurred earlier today with Kairi would've been welcomed at this point.<p>

The idea of going out in public with Riku's tight-fitting top almost made Sora lose his nerve though. He was a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy, generally. Sometimes the tees were a bit form-fitting, yeah, but nothing like the shirt he was wearing now. And he'd never seen Riku in something as tight as he was wearing tonight. Shit, he didn't even know Riku owned stuff like this in his wardrobe. The shirt complimented his oriental complexion and his eyes all at once. The pants…well, there wasn't much to say about them, but that was mostly because every time Sora found his eyes wandering down to them, his gaze always ended up resting on the curve of his friend's…

Jesus.

The party was being held on frat row, immediately across from the dorm he and Riku shared. Sora had never been big on fraternities. He was more of a sports guy, personally. He'd also thought frats were about big macho guys, getting laid, and hazing new pledges.

And by 'getting laid,' he'd always assumed it was girls the frat boys would be after.

There was a surprising mix of people there though, and yeah, some were jock types. An impressive amount of people in attendance were dressed like Riku though, young men in tight, revealing outfits. Clarification: Young men in tight, revealing outfits, some of whom were eyeing the two of them up and down in a manner that Sora wasn't entirely sure he liked.

"Um, Riku…what's this all abou—"

Riku didn't seem to hear him above the nose blaring from a nearby stereo.

"I'll get us some drinks. Back soon." He waved dismissively and Sora watched him go in a somewhat desperate way. Here of all places he didn't want to be left alone. What if Kairi showed up while he was wearing…this?

Sora scuttled over to a corner of the room and watched Riku with nervous eyes. His friend seemed far more comfortable in this situation than he was, that was for sure. Sora kept his eyes on Riku as he saw another boy approach him, greeting Riku with a friendly hand on his shoulder, before leaning in to say something more privately. A moment later, Riku looked up, eyes searching until they came to rest on Sora across the room. The intensity of his stare forced Sora to look away. He was beginning to wonder if it was such a good idea to have come to this party after all…

o - o

It had to be said that he had in no way been ready for Sora to come with him tonight. He hadn't exactly thought this through, or had a plan. All he knew was that at some point it seemed like a good idea to invite his friend along, but now he wasn't so sure. He'd imagined Sora would protest, or back out. Not that Riku had wanted him to do that, but that's what he'd expected. Why did his long-time friend always have to choose inconvenient times to surprise him?

The drinks had been a sort of cover. He needed a moment to himself to think, and besides they needed to get drunk tonight; that was the only thing that was clear in his mind. So he'd made Sora wait for him as he wandered over to find the strongest thing there. Of course, that was when Ralph decided to make an appearance.

He tensed slightly under those hands as the only standby he ever kept, someone who was usually as 'busy' as he was until they needed each other, slid close to him. "Hey, Riku," Ralph purred in his ear. "You busy tonight?" That was their cue, and both knew what the other meant when they asked this question. Busy. Looking up to search for Sora in the crowd, Riku hesitated. Yes, he was busy, but maybe he could have Ralph meet him later? Maybe… as he looked into the blue eyes of his long-time friend, closest ally, and the one he wanted most in the world, the idea of being with anyone else tonight felt wrong.

"Yeah," he finally answered. "Sorry, I already have plans." Ralph looked disappointed, but he nodded and turned to go.

That was it, really. He'd turned down a sure thing to spend his night with his straight crush who was having relationship problems with a girl they'd both known since childhood, and who, it must be said, turned out to be a conniving little bitch.

Riku grabbed the first shot glass he saw, and threw it back. Then a second, and a third. Tonight he was getting fucking wasted if it ended up killing him. Grabbing two more between two fingers, and two glasses of whatever the 'bartender' was mixing, he headed back to Sora.

"Here," he said when he finally found his friend again. He handed Sora a shot glass and a cup of something strong and sweet smelling, before throwing back his fourth shot, and shaking his head from side-to-side. This was either going to be an awesome fucking night, or a total disaster in the making.

o - o

Sora'd watched as his friend had spoken to the touchy-feely guy near the makeshift bar counter and watched as Riku gulped down a few shots before returning to him.

"Thanks," he said, as he took the two proffered drinks, sniffing inquisitively at the larger one before taking a small sip. "That guy you were just talking to…he's a friend of yours?"

Sort of a dumb question, yeah. Most people didn't just come up and slide their hand across your shoulder if they didn't know you. It was just that Sora had never seen the guy before. Again, with this different side of Riku's life Sora hadn't even realized he'd had before now. Where had he been, and just how shitty of a friend did that make him not to know these things?

Riku downed his shot in a second flat, and Sora watched, a bit fascinated. "You weren't kidding about getting drunk tonight, ha?" He shot his friend a toothy grin and tilted back his own head to gulp his own shot. The liquid burned a little going down. "Woo, this stuff's strong." He found himself laughing a bit to cover a slight cough. "No point in rushing though, right? Unless you're planning on leaving early…"

He wasn't sure how his words would be taken, but Sora also wasn't sure if he cared right now either. He already felt bad enough to impose on Riku this evening. He'd be damned if he stood in the way of his friend meeting up with other people he knew or…whatever Riku might want to do tonight, really.

Absentmindedly, Sora slid a hand over the sleek material of Riku's shirt covering his chest, still a bit fascinated by the unfamiliar feeling it had under his fingers, as he took a large sip of his remaining drink. He wanted to look at Riku, hoped to catch a few more glimpses of the way he looked in his clothing. But with Riku standing so close to him, Sora wasn't sure how he'd be able to do it without being caught. Instead, he let his eyes roam across the room as he leaned casually back onto the wall he was nearest to. A group of girls passed them by, and one called out to him, a friendly smile on her face. He waved back but made no move to initiate an actual conversation. Tonight he'd stick by Riku, for as long as his friend wanted him to. Sora owed him that much, at the very least.

o - o

"You could say that," he answered with a smirk, when Sora asked about Ralph. He resisted the urge to add 'with benefits' to the end of that, and realizing this made him feel as though he was certainly not drunk enough, yet. Urges can't be resisted on alcohol, and he didn't want to remember anything he was doing or thinking anymore.

He watched Sora, irritation battling with infatuation, and the exposed throat as his friend downed his shot made Riku's mind rush to ideas and things he'd usually be doing with a male partner tonight that he was not. He shook his head, again.

"It's a party," he added, after Sora's questions were finally finished. Man, the brunette could just keep going, couldn't he? Talk, talk, talk, when he should be drinking! "I got the night off for you," he added. "Not leaving till you do." He took a long swallow from his cup, noticing that it was definitely stronger than he'd first anticipated, and somehow sweeter. What the fuck was in this cup?

Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment trying to force away the feeling it gave him, Riku opened them to find Sora's hand sliding tantalizingly down the front of the shirt he'd been loaned for the night. Long hair half obstructing his eyes, he felt his mouth drop slightly open. God, he wanted…

He didn't catch who it was Sora was waving at, but at that moment he felt it was best to turn away from his friend, straight friend he reminded himself, and see who else was around. The back of another brunette head made his blood boil, as he thought of Kairi and her accusations.

Well, she would be the first to jump to that conclusion, wouldn't she? Especially because it was she who made sure that his one confession to her could never become reality. He'd told her about his crush on Sora less than a week before she decided to force her way into his arms… she'd known and acted on that knowledge before he could do anything. Riku hated her for that more than anything, and holding the rage inside and distancing himself from the pair had not lessened his anger over the whole situation.

But here was Sora now, with him instead of her, and he needed to take advantage of it, even if he knew it wouldn't end the way he wanted it to. So he turned back to his friend, leaning in close to talk in his ear, and letting himself enjoy the feeling of their chests being pressed just slightly together. "Drink up, Sora. We're gonna have some fun tonight."

o - o

After just two drinks, he felt looser, freer already. Completely oblivious to the double meaning behind his friend's initial words, Sora simply nodded, eyes wandering around the room, only to return to Riku when he spoke again.

At his friend's last comment, Sora stiffened slightly. Riku was so close to him, his voice so deep with something Sora couldn't quite understand. Sora felt the heat rise in his chest as it rubbed against Riku's. Gaze drifting again, he saw other students in various states of attire (or lack thereof) on an area that looked as though it'd been cleared away for dancing.

Girls in short skirts were practically plastered onto their chosen guys for the evening. He remembered when Kairi used to do that to him, how good she was at making it enjoyable for him.

Kairi.

Wracked with guilt, Sora took in a shuddering breath, his face showing his uncertainty. That had been his fault, hadn't it? He'd been the one avoiding her advances — his girlfriend's affection. And now he was out at a party with Riku, wearing a skin-tight shirt that made him look like he was half for sale and…Kairi was where now? Back in her dorm room? Maybe still feeling miserable about the shitty way he'd treated her recently?

Fuck this noise. He needed to forget.

He leaned into his friend a little, as Riku had just done with him before responding with a forced grin and a quiet, "hell yeah we are." Then, as if following orders, Sora pulled away, gulping the last of the drink Riku had gotten him in two swallows.

For a second, the room spun out of focus and back in again. Noting Riku's drinks were empty too, Sora grabbed his friend's hand, pulling him forward. "C'mon Riku," he said, pulling him almost teasingly back toward the makeshift bar, his eyes holding a bit of friendly challenge. "If you wanna get shitfaced, we're going to need tequila."

o - o

The discomfort in Sora's body almost didn't register for Riku, as he pressed himself as close as he dared without quite a few more drinks, but when he saw it he almost moved away from the brunette in disgust. Whether he was disgusted with himself or his close friend's reaction, though, was not entirely certain. He didn't move back far, blame that on the alcohol and his already slowing reactions, before Sora leaned into him in return. It made his heart skip a beat, the image of the brunette pressing up against him for a kiss… he mentally called himself an idiot as his friend pulled him towards the drink table, though.

Idiot. Then… "Tequila?" Apparently those shots were kicking in because he didn't understand why Tequila was a requirement for getting drunk. Wasn't it just alcohol? He'd already had quite a bit of that. Four shots, right? And a tall cup of something strong and sweet. Riku needed more of that, actually. He'd have to remember to ask what was in it.

It wasn't long before Sora was pushing more drinks into his hands, and, he felt himself obeying the unspoken command to drink up, even though he didn't like the flavor of whatever this was nearly as much. His eyes seemed to follow the brunette of their own accord, and the more he drank the more involuntary it felt until he found himself staring at his friend's exposed skin outright. How many times had he seen Sora with his shirt off, or naked even? This was ridiculous. Yet, he couldn't stop stealing glances… he wanted to touch it.

So after a while, without thinking or listening to whatever it was that Sora was babbling about just then, he found himself pressing his friend towards the nearest wall. He'd lost his mind, couldn't control his actions anymore, and that wall seemed as though it was moving away from him as fast as he was moving towards it.

Then he did find his hands at Sora's waist, touching bare skin, and he automatically, out of an old habit he'd gotten into a long time back, yanked his hands away as though he'd just touched a hot stove on accident. A quick glance at his friend's face to see his reaction before looking at the floor between them made the impending wall come up as a bit of a surprise, and without raising his gaze to those blue eyes he could feel on his face he apologized, not something Riku typically did with anyone.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Too crowded out there, too many people… or something…" He trailed off almost completely at the end, unsure whether anyone could hear anything in this noise, or if the ruckus was all in his head.

o - o

Spinning, spinning. The world around him was spinning, and the only thing that stuck out in any meaningful way to him was silver-haired, olive-toned Riku. Riku and his hands, and a look in his eyes that Sora couldn't interpret. All he knew was that look felt right and he wanted it to continue.

At the back of his mind rang a warning: that's the way you've looked at girls before. That's what it looks like to want something that isn't possible between the two of you. Wrong gender. Wrong parts. You date girls. You are straight.

And then just as quickly, it was gone, washed away by alcohol and some burning desire Sora couldn't have explained even if he'd been sober. He felt Riku's hands on him, pressing, guiding him away from the crowd. His balance was off, and Riku's strong grip was making it hard to focus on anything else. How many drinks had he had? Was it possible to drink too much in a place like this, with company like Riku?

Hands at his waist, at his bare skin. Sora let out a quiet sound of surprise that was lost in the noise of the party. His whole body responded to that one sensual touch that was taken away so soon. He saw Riku back up out of the corner of one blurry eye. Without thinking, he stepped forward in his friend's direction, more focused on returning the hand to that pleasing, exciting place on his stomach.

Off-balance, Sora sloshed a healthy amount of his drink on one arm in the process. Generous droplets also got the side of his shirt. As Riku began to mumble an apology, Sora looked down, oblivious to his friend's discomfort.

"Shit," he said. "I think I might've just ruined your shirt."

He raised his arm to his mouth, licking away some of the drink in a somewhat ridiculous attempt to clean himself, only to realize it was a silly, futile action on his part. What was he going to do, try to wrench his neck to reach his upper arm? Frustrated and a little embarrassed through the haze, Sora took a long swallow of what remained in his cup and tossed it to the side of the room, unthinking.

The room was swimming. Or maybe he was just swaying, unbalanced already. What would Riku think of his ability to hold alcohol if he was already considering calling it quits? Fucking lightweight.

"I think I need to sit down," he muttered, grabbing the wall a little for stability. "Or get a napkin or…something."

o - o

When he'd stepped away, he hadn't expected Sora to follow him. The brunette losing his balance, however, he did expect. In fact, he expected his friend to fall all over himself at the rate he was going; Sora was never very good at holding his liquor.

That tiny bit of uncertainty that he'd been feeling was leeched out of him by the closeness and the music. It had to have been the tequila really; who drinks this shit at parties? Well, apparently they did, actually.

He watched as Sora's mouth went to his own skin, and couldn't help licking his own lips at the sight of it, wondering what that pale skin tasted like. Caught up in the moment, Riku almost leaned forward to press his own mouth to that alcohol soaked arm, a teasing movement that he wouldn't have second guessed with anyone else he'd ever been in this type of situation with. People spilled a lot of things when they got buzzed or drunk. Unluckily for him though Sora began to shake his arm out to the side, which would've smacked him in the mouth if he'd moved any closer just then.

Ignoring the part about how his shirt might be ruined, it was just tequila for God's sake, Riku leaned in close, pressing Sora to the wall with two hands at the brunette's waist, both to support his friend's weight and to tease him a little bit in return for the little bit of teasing he'd just endured.

"Ready to go already," he asked, reading into the words his friend had just spoken, rather than just listening. "Drunk already?"

There was a slight fear that if they left, Sora would just go back to his own dorm room, leaving Riku alone on a night he'd already cleared just to get a little more time with the brunette while neither of them could really think clearly, or, hopefully, have to deal with an interruption from the brunette bitch from their childhood.

Well, why not? Why didn't he just take Sora back to his room? They were friends so… he'd probably just… it couldn't be… he couldn't think straight anymore. Time to stop thinking and just do.

"Come on," he said, taking his friend by the arm and leading him away. "Let's get outta here."


	5. Chapter 5: Just Indiscretion

**Nic**: Well, well, well. From here on out, the reason for the M rating will become clear. It'll only get worse (better?) from here, folks. xD

Also, just as an FYI, this is the last bit I've compiled from Tumblr and I'm also going overseas for work this week so sit tight. There's still loads more we've already written. I just need to find the time to publish it. Hopefully this 5000+ word chapter will tide you guys over in the interim though.

Send comments. Let us know your thoughts. How're we doing so far? Just how hot _is_ Riku? Things like that. ;]

* * *

><p>Days later, the party would seem like a muddle to Sora, memories patched together but out of place so he couldn't really tell when he'd done what. And the why was so far gone even a search and rescue wouldn't recover it at this point.<p>

One thing would remain clear in his mind though, and it was Riku, hands on his waist, pressing him into the wall. Dizzily, Sora had looked up then, staring almost awestruck at the expression on his best friend's face.

Riku had handsome features, and unique ones too, if anyone counted his light blue eyes. It was strange to see someone of obvious Japanese descent with such light coloring in general. And when they were staring at you intently during a conversation like the one he was having with Sora now, they were nothing short of tantalizing. Sora felt drawn in, willing to do whatever Riku wanted. Hell, Riku could've told him to do a headstand while singing the "My Little Pony" theme song and he probably would've complied…for about 3 seconds before he fell flat on his face and broke his nose, at least.

But now he wanted to leave, and Sora wanted to protest. How late was it anyway? 11? Midnight? Not late enough to leave the party, almost certainly.

Riku was leading him outside though, and Sora found he had to spend more time focusing on not tripping over his own feet than he could on arguing with his friend to stay.

"One more drink," he managed to slur weakly, veering them slightly away from their chosen path to snatch another full cup of whatever was being mixed at the drinks table. A bit of it sloshed out the edge, but this time Sora didn't pay it any mind, sipping almost smugly as they exited the frat house.

He caught a flash of reddish brown hair, but didn't turn back to see who it might be. Kairi was, for the moment, forgotten in the alcoholic haze.

He followed Riku silently as they crossed University Avenue back over to the student housing complex where they both lived. While it was possible Riku may have hesitated as they passed Sora's dorm room, Sora didn't even notice and they were soon back in the familiar confines of Riku's private room, connected only by a washroom to the neighboring dorm room on the right.

Sora was barely through the door before he started babbling again, drink in hand. "You should sit. We should sit. Everything's spinning, except we don't have a bottle." He took another long drink from the cup he'd carried with him before depositing it on Riku's bedside table.

If his target had been the bed, Riku was the obstacle in the way of it. Sora stumbled on his approach a few paces across the room, steading himself on Riku for a moment to right his balance. "Remember that dare? That one from freshman year, Riku?" His words were slurring a little, but Sora didn't care, suddenly feeling quite brave in the face of nerves that almost certainly would have shut him up for good on any other day had he been just a little more sober.

"Remember the kiss? I remember it."

He flopped onto the bed, dragging Riku with him as he fell, not even remembering he'd been holding onto him in the first place. His body was warm, with no sign of nerves or inhibitions impending. He laughed a little, soft but audible, like he was remembering something amusing but didn't want to disturb the people around him. Then, with only the slightest of hesitations, Sora turned from his back to his side, to Riku's left ear.

"Riku," he said, his voice hardly above a whisper at this point. "Hey Riku. Truth or dare?"

o - o

Sora babbled when he was drunk, Riku had known that for a long time, and he got quiet when he was drunk, listening rather than opening his mouth. Of course, lately when he was drunk Riku was bringing someone to his room, or following someone to theirs, though rarely, to do something that would feel very good rather than helping someone back to his room when he was pretty sure the brunette in his arms was either going to fall asleep in the middle of his bed or leave.

He'd been very distracted by the heat of Sora's body though, and the way that his friend had leaned into him, depending on Riku to get him back without falling on his face. Riku could hold his alcohol and his balance better than Sora ever could, and tonight he held them both.

Surprised was definitely a good word for how he felt when he found himself being tugged down onto his own bed by the brunette who he'd been pining over for quite a while now; the straight brunette, he'd thought. What was this? And there Sora went, babbling about that dare again. Why did he keep bringing it up? Why did he have to keep mentioning it? Hadn't Riku been through enough? Watching Kairi steal Sora right out from under his stupid, trusting nose, and then watching her rip apart the friendships that had taken years to cultivate in one lousy week. He was not sure that he could take Sora doing this to him, right now.

Then again, he was really, really feeling pretty good… good and buzzed, that was. Definitely not thinking clearly. He couldn't be drunk, right? How many shots had he drank? Did he have a cup, two, three of that other stuff? Riku had lost count.

So when Sora asked him the question, he didn't even consider before giving his answer, he just said it, sliding closer to the brunette with big, almost innocent seeming blue eyes. The smirk playing around the edges of his lips would have been telling to anyone else in this type of situation… he wondered if Sora knew. Was the innocence just an act, or was it sincere? Either way, it didn't matter here… right?

"Dare," he breathed, waiting to see what it was Sora was planning to do here.

o - o

Dare. The word echoed in his mind. Dare, dare, I dare you to make out with Sora for one minute.

The sentence sounded so real to Sora, and he glanced up at Riku, wondering what he was waiting for. He hadn't hesitated this long last time, had he?

But Riku didn't move and Sora merely stared up at his friend, eyes wide and mouth open a bit as if in surprise. A moment later, he'd raised himself onto one wobbly elbow and pressed his mouth against Riku's.

It was a soft, tentative thing, but undeniably a kiss. His body trembling a little, Sora leaned into Riku a little, trying to balance himself.

Time doesn't start until you start frenching…that was the rule, wasn't it?

Sora parted his lips, meeting Riku's almost shyly with his tongue, unsure how hard to probe. His entire body was a strange melange of fire and ice, of alertness and haze. Too many drinks, too tight a t-shirt, Kairi nowhere in sight. Too tight, too tight. Everything was becoming too tight.

He lost his balance just then, falling away from Riku and onto the bed, dazed and on his back below his friend. The bed felt like it was spinning, and Riku's features were jumping in and out of focus, and Sora was just going along for the ride. Always a talker while drunk, Sora found himself uncharacteristically speechless for the moment.

Except for one, curious word.

"Truth," he said, his voice soft, but firm. For the time being, it wasn't a question.

o - o

Why?

If he'd been sober, he would have asked it out loud. What? He would have demanded to know what it was that inspired Sora to do something like that to him… again. Why? He would have said a thing or two to the brunette about teasing, and explained exactly what the meaning of the phrase 'to lead someone on' was.

Riku was far from sober, however, and though the word rang in his ears, circled his mind, and shook something inside of him to pay attention, he was too far gone to manage it. So when Sora fell back onto his bed, it didn't take long for him to respond to the attack by attacking his friend in the same manner, lips passionately responding at the same time that one hand slid over a bare abdomen. It wasn't long after that that Riku found his hands snaking underneath the fabric of a shirt that still felt damp with spilt alcohol, his mouth testing, tongue probing, and trying to gauge the response of someone who didn't seem all that interested in doing these things before they'd gone out drinking together.

The question was, did Sora want him, or was he just a very convenient drinking buddy who sorta looked like a girl, right now. Riku shuddered to even consider the latter as he tried testing the waters a bit by breaking the kiss, and moving to take his own shirt off of his friend.

"This is all wet," he said, in case Sora decided he wasn't so sure about the tone of what was going on. …god, the brunette was hot. He'd forgotten just how much he wanted… Riku held his breath, waiting for a reaction.

o - o

There are no consequences with alcohol, at least while it was still in your system.

For a moment after he fell back onto the bed, Sora imagined falling asleeping, curling into the crook of Riku's arm and his chest like they used to do as children at sleepovers together. Riku had always been larger, and his embrace had always felt protective.

But Riku was now in a position over him that didn't allow for Sora to turn or curl up. And Riku's mouth was on Sora's so immediately after Sora broke contact, he was beginning to wonder if they'd ever stopped kissing at all. Was Riku kissing him, or the other way around? He couldn't tell anymore, didn't care to interpret it.

And then, a hand on his lower, exposed stomach. Blue eyes opened in surprise. Maybe it had been a mistake on Riku's part, he labored to justify in his slow-reacting mind. Maybe, maybe, maybe not.

The hand slipping beneath his shirt provided an answer. It also sent off a warning in his mind. This is Riku who's touching you, Riku whose hand is under your shirt, snaking up your chest. You don't even know what the fuck you're doing right now. His body seemed to though, as Sora's back arched at the feeling, and a low sound, halfway between a moan and a whimper found its way out of his throat at just the moment Riku pulled away and began to speak. And started to undress him.

And just like that, he was given an out in Riku's words. He could laugh it off, make a quick joke about how much more successful this dare was than the last. Then he could go back to his dorm room and forget this had ever happened while he hopefully slept right through the hangover he knew he was going to have in the morning.

For a moment, he stayed quiet, simply staring at Riku, then down to his bare chest. His cheeks flushed. Riku was still fully dressed, watching him almost warily. And Sora was half-naked in front of his best friend, body wracked with light tremors every now and again.

Before he could regret it or second guess himself, Sora reached upwards, pulling Riku down on top of him. It felt like a hug, except his body was so indescribably sensitive right now. Moving his arm slightly, it brushed against the bare skin of Riku's shoulder and stuck a little, the dried alcohol providing a sticky friction he wasn't quite sure he should be happy about.

Sora grimaced. "God, I'm such a mess right now," he murmured more to himself than for the benefit of anyone else.

o - o

"You are a mess," he said, smirking despite himself. He wanted Sora to be sticky for other reasons than the current ones, though.

There was no doubt in his mind where this would go if he wasn't careful, and, though he had enough alcohol in his system to easily say he didn't realize what he was doing, Riku didn't think that would be entirely fair to Sora. God he wanted the brunette, he wanted him so badly that his own body ached, but another part of him wanted those blue eyes to look at him like that without the haze of alcohol influencing their vision. He paused, considering.

Well, what if he just… it wouldn't cost Sora anything, but it would cost him. What would he get in return? Why didn't the answer to that seem to matter in the slightest, right now? Riku never did anything physical with anyone unless he was gaining something, and the brunette had just pulled him back down as though he wanted it every bit as much as Riku did.

His lips attacked Sora's, pressing hard as his hand trailed over somewhat sticky but bare skin, exploring the body he'd spent far, far too long dreaming about. Soon, he found his hand pressing at his friend's neck, holding the other male steady so he could kiss him harder, tongue testing the boundaries of Sora's mouth as he slid it inside the other wet, alcohol soaked mouth. His whole body was warm now, and he wanted with his whole being to taste every part of Sora while he still could.

So his mouth moved lower, hand moving aside just enough to allow his lips to spread against the skin of a perfect, pale neck as Riku slid his teeth over the spot, flicking at Sora's skin with his tongue before biting down hard, sucking, and then moving to another spot on the for now spotless skin. Slowly, he began moving downward, hand moving with him to steady the body beneath his on the bed.

o - o

Every touch, every movement on Riku's part seemed to elicit a new sound from Sora. And when Riku's mouth was back on his, the sounds became strangled, swallowed up in the passion of the moment.

Kairi'd never kissed him like that, like she wanted him so much it was necessary almost to bruise their lips in the process. And Sora couldn't recall wanting to kiss any girl he'd been with before with such force.

It was intoxicating though, as long as he didn't think about the confusing parts. The why was he letting Riku do this bit would've stopped him. The why was he finding himself getting noticeably aroused by his best guy friend bit would probably have induced him to push away entirely and run for all it was worth.

Riku didn't leave him an option to do that though, with his hand like a vice against Sora's neck and his tongue delving deeply into his mouth. It wasn't just about frenching now, in Sora's mind. Riku's tongue felt like it was almost acting out another role, one he didn't quite get, but that was nevertheless enticing. The way it stroked his own tongue, slid in and out through his lips at a steady pace…hell, even the way it ran over his teeth made Sora want to…

…what? Do what? He couldn't figure it out. With a girl it'd be easy. His hands could cup her breasts, slide between her legs. What the fuck was he supposed to do with Riku? The grip on his neck was so stifling, for a moment he thought he might lose consciousness, but found he couldn't speak to protest, couldn't say no, even if he'd wanted to, which he wasn't really sure he did.

Instead, Sora grabbed Riku's head, took his hair and tangled his fingers in it, followed it downward as his neck was bitten, then lower. He moaned again, this time louder as his hips jutted up of their own accord just slightly.

"God," he breathed, panting now that the hand had released his neck. His eyes were unfocused but searching Riku out. "God, sorry. I'm being loud…don't know what to do."

o - o

"You don't have to do anything," Riku breathed over Sora's chest just before his tongue darted out of his mouth flicking across an exposed nipple, then sucking and biting it somewhat harshly. His hands searched for the brunette's arms, and upon locating them pinned them down, nails digging slightly into his friend's skin.

"Except be loud," he growled, teeth scraping an exposed rib as he slid down lower. He didn't want Sora to feel self-conscious. Would the brunette ever even want to talk to him again after this, or would he forget about it completely leaving Riku to pine all over again? Whatever the outcome, green eyes watched wanting to remember what might possibly be the last time he talked to his closest friend.

Not that he was thinking of it in those terms just then. No, those worries came later, when he sobered up more, and Sora had left. Then he would panic, shaking in private over whether he had just made a huge mistake. Now however, driven by alcohol he continued lower, taking in the flavor of Sora's skin and memorizing it, not knowing that this would be the reason for a very long time that he associated tequila with Sora and being aroused.

When his mouth reached Sora's bellybutton, Riku's hands released his friend's arms, moving to unbutton and unzip his pants. This was it. Either the brunette would stop him or he wouldn't, and if he did nothing Riku wanted so badly to see and taste and hear Sora's responses to something he had wanted to learn about with him… and if the brunette hadn't already been aroused, he might have hesitated longer than he did.

o - o

Be loud…

The words hit Sora hard as though they were physical, and he was momentarily out of breath. Be loud. Riku wanted him to be loud. His best friend was touching him and biting him and wanting to hear his reactions.

It hurt. Maybe without the alcohol in his system, it would've hurt even more. As it was, the feelings were sharp, then dull, then sharp again, like a strange staccato beat of sensations across his body as Riku moved along. Unthinking, Sora tried to reach for his friend again, but found his arms pinned down, fingernails digging into his skin.

Then the feeling was gone, as Riku moved further downwards. Oh god, was he going to…

'Don't worry. I want to,' Kairi had said. It wasn't the first time someone had gone down on him, but look what had happened with him and Kairi after she'd tried. He'd freaked out and left her. What if he did the same with Riku?

Suddenly, Sora felt himself trembling, both from cold and a distant but growing fear. What if Riku didn't like him? What if he wasn't…the right size, maybe. Or if he thought it was too weird and left Sora mostly naked in his dorm room? What if, what if, what if…

Sora felt Riku unzip his pants. "Riku!" he half cried as a moan emitted at the end of the second syllable.

Riku what, he berated himself silently. I'm scared? Don't do this? You're the one who started it anyway. And besides, it's not like he wanted it to stop. So much pressure, so much tension, and Riku seemed to want to relieve it.

Deep breath in, Sora tried to find words for what he was feeling. "I don't…mmmngh," he found himself cut off again as another pleasant shiver shot deep into his stomach. He felt an almost painful throbbing in his pants. Even unzipped, there was so much pressure. "Too tight," he found himself groaning instead. Throwing his head back and biting his lip, Sora closed his eyes for a moment, entire body tensing, as the small muscles of his stomach and arms visibly rippled every time he tensed and released, however involuntary the actions actually happened to be.

'Don't worry. I want to.' It ran through his head like a mantra, except the voice he was imagining this time was low. And male.

o - o

God, the way Sora called his name just then! He felt himself twitch in response, and suddenly it was agony to be in the too tight leather pants he was wearing. Moving the fabric of the brunette's clothes aside, he damn near moaned out loud seeing how aroused his friend really was by all of this. The next outburst made him pause though.

'I don't…'? I don't what? I don't want this, maybe? I don't want you? I don't want another guy touching me, even though I'm so drunk I can barely stand? Riku waited, his breath stuck in the back of his throat, feeling like Sora's next words would either break him into a million pieces right there, or release him. Luckily, it was the latter, and he began making up time by hurriedly moving the fabric out of his way so that he could finally see what had been hidden from him for so long.

It was strange how seeing Sora like this, completely aroused and bare in front of him, made Riku ache, his lower abdomen tightening in response to the brunette's visible erection. Reaching forward slowly, his fingers brushed experimentally against the skin before he grasped Sora's cock in his hands, squeezing and pumping to get things started, all the while keeping his green eyes on his friend to gauge reactions to his.

Then he was leaning forward, eagerly smelling the salty tang of the brunette's masculine scent before tasting it with his tongue, which began at the very base of Sora's erection, and moved steadily to its tip, where he added pressure just before enveloping the tip into his own mouth, using every trick he knew of with his lips, teeth, and tongue to make his friend feel fucking amazing, while he just watched, his green eyes practically sparkling as they turned to keep track of Sora's reaction. For the moment, he ignored how tight his own pants felt, but he knew it wouldn't be long before he unbuttoned and unzipped them to relieve the pressure. For now though, his hands were just a little busy.

o - o

With blurred vision and too-bright lights dancing erratically in front of his eyes, it felt like a dream. A wetter, more erotic dream than he'd ever have been able to come up with on his own. The little voice in the back of his head that had at one point been more definitive, more insistent that straight guys don't let their best male friends go down on them was only a whisper now, as Sora focused on the sensations he was feeling. Sensations Riku was causing.

One moment the pressure was there. The next it was gone, and Sora felt immediately exposed. Vulnerable. He felt Riku's sure hands on his…god, he couldn't even say the word silently to himself without feeling embarrassed. Instead, Sora glanced down just once after Riku's hands had stopped to see what was happening in a fit of momentary bravery. It was an opportune moment, for Riku had just begun the slow ascent from base to head with his firm, steady tongue.

A moan ripped through Sora's mouth before he could even hope to stifle it, and his head was back on the bed, forced there almost automatically as he felt his hips buck in an involuntary manner. Between the feeling and the image of his friend, startlingly bright eyes on him as he began his work, what little strength Sora had to keep himself even semi-upright washed out of him almost instantaneously.

Then he was surrounded, warm, wet and suctioned. Another moan from Sora, hips rising, wanting more. "God…god, Riku…feels so good," Sora's voice shook as he spoke, his hands automatically reaching again for Riku's head. They moved to Riku's cheeks this time instead of his hair, and Sora could feel the movement of Riku's tongue, the texture of his face as he sucked his cheeks in, then circled his tongue.

Sora's inner thighs began to tremble and he found himself reduced to soft whimpers, punctuated by louder, longer moans as he felt Riku's tongue swirl over his slit, then away, then down his underside and back again. "Close…" he whispered, trying to warn Riku, but feeling his face flush from a mixture of alcohol and his own embarrassment. It hadn't been that long since Riku had started. But everything just felt so good…so expert with Riku's guidance. Sora just hoped nothing he was doing or saying now would come back to bite him later, after the effects of alcohol had worn off and he had time to think about his actions in a bit more of a lucid frame of mind.

o - o

The more Sora moaned the more Riku felt the need to free himself, and take care of his own needs. One hand left the brunette's body, handling himself as he listened to the moans coming from his friend's perfect mouth and adding his own moans to the equation. He heard all of the unnecessary warnings, feeling Sora's body tense in all of the right places, and preparing himself by upping the friction on his own body, and taking all of the brunette into his mouth and sucking a little harder to milk every last drop from his friend's cock.

Moaning in unison with the shivering body under his fingers, Riku came in his own hand at the same time that Sora released into the back of his throat. Both of them road the climax together, and he couldn't have even imagined this before it happened, his stomach fluttering madly as his mind became even more aware of what he had just done with the brunette in front of him.

Swallowing, very afraid of what he was going to see in those blue eyes when he met Sora's gaze, Riku looked up at his friend, unable to really move with his tight pants in the position they were in, and his own mess in his hand. Before he reached for the Kleenex box though, he wanted to see the brunette's reaction. So he would do the cleanup in a minute, but first…

"Sora? How, uh, are you fe- doing?"

o - o

He was surprised he hadn't woken the whole damn dorm room up by now. The closer Sora came to release though, the louder he found himself getting. Thank god for tequila, because without it he would've been having a very serious issue with the thought of climaxing in Riku's mouth. It wasn't like he was all that comfortable with the idea even now, being flat-out drunk.

And then he was writhing as the orgasm rushed over him, taking his breath away and making him tense to the point of pain. A moment later, it was over and Sora found it was all he could do to curl his knees into his chest, to move to his side to keep himself at least a little less exposed.

His cheeks were flushed and eyes were wide, staring at Riku with a sense of detached awe. Had his friend really just done…that?

And he'd never heard Riku stutter like that before when speaking to him. Sora wondered if that was his fault, if he'd done something wrong, or…it's not like he knew how to do any of this or why this was happening or pretty much fucking anything right now.

"I…I'm tired, and I-I don't know how to…you know, for you," he said finally, truthfully, face immediately turning red. God he hoped this was at least one part of this evening he'd end up forgetting come morning.

And then almost before he could stop himself, he spoke up again. "Can I stay here tonight?" There was hope in his voice. "Please?"

He remembered sleepovers together when they were kids, how he'd always manage to roll all the way over onto Riku's side of the bed and steal most of the covers. He'd wake up tangled in the sheets and Riku's limbs and he'd get teased about it later, but it didn't matter, because that's just how it was with them. Simple. Uncomplicated. Could that happen again now, maybe, after all this time?

Sora's eyelids began to droop. Unconsciously, he reached an arm out toward Riku.

Too far away.

So tired…

o - o

His body was tense, and Sora's first words didn't help much, nervous as they were. What if he'd just made everything worse by doing this? Well, if he had, he'd decided before even beginning that, one, Sora had started out by kissing him, and, two, when would he get the chance to be with the brunette like this again? The way his friend was curling away from him just then, it might be never. So that was good enough, wasn't it? He would remember this in the morning, and it wasn't as though he took anything from Sora. He gave something, right?

Riku shook his head as reassuringly as he knew how, though this was definitely his first time trying to reassure anyone. "You don't have to do anything except sleep, Sora."

He reached for his Kleenex, cleaning off his hand and tossing the thing in the trash before standing up and removing his too tight pants and shirt, but leaving his underwear on. It wasn't as though they'd gotten dirty, after all. Before moving around to the bed, he flicked off the lights while answered his friend's next question.

"I wasn't going to kick you out, you know. Where the hell else would you stay," he asked, sounding like his old self again even though he didn't feel like himself at all.

When Sora reached for him however, there was a pause; a hesitation that he couldn't help. What if everything had changed for the better? There was the brunette's hand, asking him to join his friend on his bed. Unthinking, Riku reached his hand out to meet Sora's walking to his own bed. First he had to maneuver his friend's body so that the brunette was actually under the blanket he was probably going to steal during the night, before he could slide in beside him.

Just like old times. Once his body was beside his friend's in the bed, Sora sleepily wrapped himself around Riku, who didn't quite manage to suppress the contented sigh it produced before closing his eyes and letting his body's fatigue carry him off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: The Way We Talk

**Nic**: Hey, hey, hey. Look who intersected two fics in this section? If you're wondering, yes, that does happen to be the Axel from my story "Bereaved." This intersects with, I believe, Chapter 3 of that fic, which you can find by clicking on my name on the profile of this account.

Can't be tamed.

* * *

><p>With concentrated precision, Sora stabbed a wayward pea on his plastic dining room dinner plate. Then another, and another, until he had a nice, neat row of peas impaled on one metal prong of his fork.<p>

The timer on his cell phone went off with a tingling buzz in his jean pocket, and he dropped the fork in a fit of frenetic anxiety.

6:00. Riku had just gotten out of his last class of the day, and despite the crappy composition of the food in front of him, there was another reason entirely why Sora thought he might barf before the evening was through.

He tried not to think about that morning, about leaving Riku to his hangover alone whenever he happened to wake up.

But he'd been late to class and had completely freaked out the moment he'd woken up and realized he'd been sleeping next to Riku. In the nude.

And that would've been enough to have him freaking out for nothing short of two weeks straight, if it hadn't also been 8 minutes to 11. Holy shit, he had a class. Holy shit, he had no clean clothes to wear to the class he was about to be late for.

Riku groaned beside him and rolled over, arm now draped across Sora's shoulder.

Holy shit, Riku was spooning him and he was naked and Riku wasn't but that was beside the point because it was 10-freaking-53 in the morning now and he was going to be late to Chem II.

He'd bolted upright at that moment, hopping out of bed and scrambling to find his jeans. Easy enough, but what about underwear? What about a damn t-shirt?

What about a flipping reality check, he'd thought. I just slept with Riku. Or he slept with me. Or he gave me a...god damnit all. Fuck tequila. Fuck it up the-

Riku murmured again in his sleep and almost sent Sora through the ceiling in a startled panic. Shit. Shit on a stick. Shit on a stick that has no underwear or shirt and who's got 6 minutes to make it across campus now.

For a brief moment, Sora considered doing the walk of shame, half naked back to his own dorm room. But he really didn't want to skip Chem with an upcoming test in his immediate future. Instead, he dove for Riku's dresser, rummaging through the most embarrassing 15 seconds of his life that have ever included thongs or leather chaps (what the HEY was his friend getting up to when he wasn't around anyway?), before finding a mercifully normal looking pair of boxer briefs to slip on.

At least locating a t-shirt had been easier. Sora'd just grabbed the first shirt that looked solid and safe - a black, form-fitting t-shirt with a few Japanese characters across the chest he couldn't read but hoped to gawd didn't imply anything sexual - before bolting to the door.

There he stopped for a moment, hesitating about the notion of leaving Riku to wake up alone. His gaze moved back to the clock. 10:55. He was about to be seriously late.

Scribbling a quick note hastily onto a sheet of paper at Riku's desk, Sora took off running. No time to grab his textbook or note-taking supplies. He'd just have to hope his hangover wasn't so shitty that he couldn't commit at least a few things to memory during the morning lecture.

Sorry. Stole some clothes and had to run to Chem. Dinner at 6?

Not the most encouraging words to someone who'd just last night spent the evening sucking your... but anyway, he was in a rush. Hopefully Riku would understand and not be too peeved off at his friend's sudden disappearance.

He couldn't be sure when Kairi joined him, having hardly heard her yelling his name until halfway across campus. It'd figure the one damn moment he took to turn around and wait for her to catch up, all the while still walking at a steady pace backward toward class, would be the moment Sora ran smack dab into another student.

Another taller student who looked slightly familiar.

"Roxas?" the taller boy asked. He had a look in his sharp green eyes that made Sora supremely nervous.

Roxas...wait, wait. Sora knew that name. Roxas Williamson, he was the kid who died last year. So this dark haired guy would be...oh.

As Kairi pulled up beside him, Sora felt his cheeks go bright red. Oh. Oh shit. Hadn't he always been told he looked like the kid who killed himself last year? The one whose dad was a senator or something a few states up? And this disheveled, somewhat dazed-looking guy in front of him must've been his boyfriend.

Sora opened his mouth to respond but no words came out. Instead, he just shook his head, a bit dazed himself as he felt his temples begin to pound in time with the intake and exhalation of air from his still over-exerted lungs. No. Not Roxas. Not even close, man.

But the words stuck in his throat. At least Kairi hadn't been so tongue-tied.

"You've got the wrong person," she said, grabbing ahold of Sora's elbow and tugging him along. "Sorry."

Sora could still see those haunted green eyes on him long after they'd rounded a corner and lost sight of the other student.

And then it struck him. Kairi. Kairi was taking his hand and leading him to their Chem class. How'd this happen? Someone had to be screwing with him.

But she'd been conciliatory, obviously nervous as she started talking on the tail end of their journey together.

"Look, Sora," she'd begun. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean ...I guess I was just frustrated. It's sweet that you're thinking of me, but really, I can handle being close to you like that. Promise." Her smile was sweet, and Sora felt his stomach flutter. It was similar to how he'd felt when Riku had leaned in close to him at last night's party, but somehow different at the same time.

"I tried to find you yesterday to say sorry then," she continued, "but you didn't answer your door when I knocked...a few times."

Nope, sorry. Too busy having our best friend slide his tongue down my...

Sora swallowed audibly. "It's cool. I'm fine." He was barely getting the words out, if that was any indication of how he was actually feeling.

They entered the science building together, and Sora felt relieved he wouldn't have to explain himself to Kairi further for the time being, not sure he honestly could at this point in the game anyway.

"Sit with me?" Kairi'd asked, and he'd nodded dumbly, not sure what else to do. If he was going to be late, might as well arrive in style with a pretty girl hanging off his arm.

It was only after they'd taken a seat that Kairi noticed what had been obvious to Sora since the moment he'd exited his dorm room 10 minutes prior.

"Hey, Sora," she'd asked, eyebrows rising almost comically in their confusion. "How come you didn't bring your book bag? And why aren't you wearing a jacket? It's freezing outside."

~ o ~

And now he was sitting alone in the dining area, Kairi mercifully unavailable thanks to a strategically timed night class. Sora stared at the clock face on his phone. 6:08. Either Riku was coming or he wasn't, Sora thought, staring unseeingly at the plate of questionably arranged food placed in front of him.

Either way, he figured, it'd only be a matter of seconds.

He hoped against hope that wasn't what Riku had been thinking about his stamina last night...

o - o

Dinner at 6, the note had asked him, but it wasn't really a question was it? Well, Riku could choose not to go of course, but then he would be giving up the only chance he might ever have at having something between him and Sora. So it wasn't a question, just a very rudely worded demand.

He couldn't help envisioning all of the horrible things that could be said or that could happen during such a dinner, either. What Riku expected most, though, was a very nicely worded explanation about how Sora was straight, and he didn't exactly know what happened between the two of them last night. The brunette had been drunk enough to play it off however he wanted, actually. Riku only wished he could do the same.

There were plus sides to this whole mess, though. Considering he'd found Sora's underwear on the floor that morning, and the t-shirt he'd changed out of before the party the previous night still lay untouched on the other side of the bed, Riku had the amazing mental image of the brunette wearing either no underwear or… his underwear. Both ideas were definitely hot. Of course, the other boy would also be wearing one of Riku's shirts, which was also pretty interesting to think about, all things considered.

Of course, what would he wear to this dinner? Not that it really mattered when the likely topic of conversation was going to prevent him from eating anything while there, but what if…? Well, yeah. What if? What if Sora actually wanted to be with him and the conversation would be about figuring the whole thing out? It would be pretty unfortunate to wear something dingy to what might later be considered a first date, right? Then again, what if he dressed all nice for what was essentially a break-up sort of talk?

He stood in front of his closet for a full thirty minutes with these thoughts running through his mind before Riku finally decided that, fuck it, he would just wear what he would've worn to be seen at dinner before all of this happened. Damn anyone who disliked the way he looked today; Sora included. Well… maybe more like fuck Sora; and god did he want to.

So that was how he came to be ten minutes late, but still strutting into the room like he owned the place and could show up whenever he liked. His eyes locating the brunette spikes of his friend without any difficulty, as they always had. Waving like he hadn't a care in the world, he went to buy the food he assumed he'd be throwing away, and headed for the table. Cool as can be exterior doing a damn good job of hiding the jittery, nerve-wracked body he did not feel used to inhabiting.

"I see you like my shirts," he said, stabbing a green-bean and plopping it in his mouth, though he had no idea how he was going to chew and swallow the damn thing with a dry mouth.

o - o

The morning after was always going to be a little awkward. That Sora had expected. With girls, it wasn't so hard. Not that he'd slept with a lot of them, but it'd been easy enough to interact with them after they'd spent the night or even just fooled around for a bit during high school. Most were looking for validation, for reassurance that Sora wasn't going to ignore them, wasn't just interested in what they'd done together the day before.

They'd look at him all hopeful-like, and all Sora really had to do was flash them a winning smile and start a conversation they were only too happy to jump into. That'd been about it. Girls were easy enough to read when they were nervous. Or happy.

Riku wasn't.

He was confident and proud, chest out and shirt showing off the well-defined muscles of his arms, and Sora quite literally found himself sucking in a tense breath. And a few peas in the process.

As Riku approached, Sora gagged, trying desperately to swallow them down. The last thing he needed was to cough up a load of peas onto Riku's lap. Not really the epitome of hot. Or alluring.

As Riku took a seat next to him, Sora swallowed hard and felt heat creep into his cheeks. Did he really want Riku to see him as alluring? He wasn't sure. What he was sure of though was that he'd get teased for last night, for being so fucked up he'd let Riku take his clothing off and make a joke out of his sexuality.

That's what it'd been after all, right? Straight-edge, heterosexual Sora gets shown up by his gay best friend. Hadn't he always heard some of the more flamboyant guys Riku used to hang around say they could turn any guy if they had enough time alone with him? Was that what Riku had been doing, trying to prove something?

At Riku's actual words, Sora coughed, face burning.

"Uh yeah. No time to get back to my room before class," he admitted, looking down at Riku's shirt to distract himself. It was tighter than he'd prefer, flattening against his stomach, showing the slight curve of his small pectorals. "I...uh, had to borrow...something else...too.

"But hey," Sora rushed on, hoping to avoid that particular discussion. "What's it say on here," he pointed to the lettering displayed across his chest. "Do you know?"

So, it wasn't the most mature approach to take, but Sora at this point couldn't even begin to conceive how he'd bring up last night. More specifically, he didn't want Riku to make fun of him, to make some stupid joke about his size or how he was too easy or...whatever.

But he couldn't look down forever, couldn't stare at his own chest in perpetuity while Riku gazed at him from above. Slowly, almost hopefully, Sora looked up at his friend, holding his breath, afraid of the expression he might see and what it might mean for everything their friendship had stood upon for so long.

o - o

He couldn't help the wicked smirk that slid onto his face when Sora mentioned the borrowed underwear, but for the sake of his friend just then, not something he usually kept in mind, Riku let the brunette change the subject. Taking a minute to eye the shirt in question, he first allowed himself to admire the way it clung to his friend's chest before taking in the writing on it.

Hesitating just a moment before answering, he pasted a nonchalant kind of smirk onto his face, and shrugged. "I just liked the design," he said. "I didn't get it translated."

For a moment he just considered his friend; his nervous friend. It made Riku wonder what exactly was going to happen here. They both blew off some steam last night, both willingly, and both drunk, if Sora wanted to use that as an excuse. He hadn't realized how badly he wanted and hoped… until now. Fuck.

"So," he finally countered, setting his fork aside. He couldn't eat anyways. "How're you feeling? You were… pretty drunk last night. Hang-over not too bad?"

o - o

"Not too bad," Sora echoed his friend's words and, to an extent, his tone. "I..." He struggled to find the words, finding himself simply copying Riku's movements and dropping his fork with a clatter onto his half finished plate instead.

Sora looked down. "I didn't mean to leave so abruptly this morning." He scratched the back of his neck idly, trying to find something to keep his hands busy with so they didn't betray how nervous this entire encounter was making him.

"Bad idea anyway," he rambled on. "Some dude ran into me. I think he might've, uh, been the boyfriend of that student who killed himself last year." Sora's eyes widened a bit in empathy. "People are always saying I look like him, or whatever." That much at least was true. And the way he'd been looked at had really shaken Sora up. The guy'd looked so...just desperate, he supposed.

God, shut up. Shut up. No one needs to hear about the stupid shit you did on your way to class. Riku especially.

"Anyway," he stuttered, reaching for the glass of coke in front of him, determinedly ignoring the part where he sloshed a generous portion of it onto the table in front of him before it could even reach his lips. "You? I mean...how are you after last...I mean, the hangover? And stuff."

Shoot me. Shoot me now.

o - o

Riku never thought he'd be able to find this much sympathy within him for even Sora after this semester had begun, but the stuttering and stumbling over words and… it was all just so damned cute! Not to mention that, well yeah, he couldn't really help but feel a little bad for his long-time friend's current predicament; a predicament that he had placed him in.

Okay, now he felt bad about it. He didn't want to, and a self-righteous part of his mind reminded him that it was Sora who'd fucking kissed him first, but there was that little thread of guilt pushing its way into his gut just the same.

Dropping his head, Riku answered as though he were speaking to the table. "I'm…" unsatisfied, unhinged, terrified, lost, lost, lost, "fine."

Then he didn't know what to say, or what to do. Suddenly, there was this insane urge to apologize for everything fighting its way up his throat, and Riku couldn't seem to completely squash it no matter how hard he tried. He'd been a complete ass the previous night. No, Sora hadn't protested or asked him to stop, but he knew better. Didn't he?

"I, uh… sorry about last night," he muttered despite himself. "Alcohol… party… tired… kiss… things… carried away… you know."

He didn't know what he was even saying anymore, but he kept muttering, afraid to look up and meet the blue eyes he'd been so in love with for so long. Ridiculously pathetic as it was, but he couldn't help what had happened when he'd gotten a chance. Particularly not when it was the only chance he'd ever get; but had it cost him their friendship? He wasn't sure when he would really find out for sure.

o - o

"I'm not..."

The words were out of his mouth before he could really stop to think about them. Not that it mattered. They were whispered, and Sora's head was down, pretty much staring into his own lap, cheeks burning.

It was true though. He wasn't sorry that it had happened. Not really. What he'd felt last night was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. With Kairi or anyone else he'd ever been intimate with.

And the thought remained: if the memory of it had been that good while he'd been completely drunk off his ass, what would it be like if he'd been sober?

There was also the chance he'd have hated it, or have been way too self conscious to really enjoy any of it.

Oh yeah. And there's that part where **you're straight **and you might be royally fucking up one of the most important friendships you've ever made. That too.

"I'm just..." Sora took a breath in, not really even grappling for words so much as he was stalling for time. "...confused," he said, letting the breath out.

And what else to say? I don't know what happened last night? Didn't sound right. How about I don't know how I feel? I thought I was straight? I really hope Kairi doesn't find out?

Oh, shit. Kairi.

The color drained from Sora's face.

"We were on a break, Kairi and me, right?" he asked, this time looking up at Riku with panic in his eyes. "That wasn't cheating, right? She'd just said that afternoon she didn't want to talk to me..."

But then she had come back to him earlier today, almost as though nothing had happened between them. Oh god. Was he a cheater?

Without thinking, Sora found himself leaning into Riku, his hand searching for his friend's but, realizing what was happening before he could find it, Sora stopped his search abruptly, instead keeping it awkwardly placed on the top of Riku's thigh.

"I don't know what to do about any of this," he admitted, shoulders turned inward a bit in defeat.

o - o

Sora's response made him jump, jerking his head up to look at his friend more closely. It was a whisper, barely heard, and… and he could not possibly have heard correctly. Of course, the next words sent his thoughts into the whirl they wanted to spiral into, all at the mention of the word 'confusion.'

Riku was confused, too, actually. Probably not about the same things Sora was confused about, though. After all, he'd known since… well the first time he'd kissed his best friend that he preferred those kinds of kisses, from the guys and not the girls. What he was confused about had more to do with the fact that the brunette had kissed him, even instigated it, and not the other way around.

Alcohol really was an interesting thing, though. Sometimes it lowered inhibitions, causing things someone was hiding to come out into the open very loudly, and sometimes it just caused people to do and say really stupid things that they didn't actually mean. How could he tell the difference? How could he tell the difference between what he wanted it to mean, and what it actually meant? He wanted so badly for Sora to want to… well, do it again. Kiss him again, touch him again, let him… taste again. He wanted.

Of course, that was when the name he loathed was mentioned. Kairi. Who gave a damn about that bitch? Oh yeah; Sora did.

Riku deflated a little, and then a little more as he thought up a response. "I heard loudly and clearly the words, 'I'm through,' or something like that. So, pretty sure you were on a break, yes." Then, "wait… were?" Had she… made up with him already? Less than a day after accusing the both of them of doing something that they hadn't… until last night.

It took a moment for Riku to calm himself, his stomach was trying to force itself into his throat, which already had a lump in it that he refused to acknowledge as anything other than part of the hang-over he'd had all day. This was all he was going to get, wasn't it? It was already over, and the questions he had, the confusion he'd been feeling, would never be answered.

He glanced at Sora from the corner of his eyes before sending his gaze down into his untouched plate of food. "I… don't, either."

o - o

Sora let out a breath of relief. Not a cheater. He thought anyway. It was still a dick move on his part. Or Riku's. Who'd started what again? Sora couldn't remember anymore, and just trying to force himself to remember the night of the party before he and Riku had gone home alone together was headache inducing. Drinks. Music. When had the kiss happened? Who had started it? Who? Why? How had this all happened?

"We never should've started dating," Sora blurted, moving away from Riku, his face aflame with embarrassment for having done it so automatically in the first place. "Kairi and me, I mean.

"I mean, I like her and everything," he was quick to clarify. "She's pretty and nice and all that stuff." It was the truth. Even Sora wasn't dense enough not to know that most of Kairi's friends envied her natural beauty. He personally didn't even think she needed to dye her hair that reddish tint. She was pretty with her darker, natural color, in his opinion. So was Riku with his, point in fact, but something told him Riku wouldn't want his best friend calling him pretty.

Pretty didn't even begin to describe Riku for Sora anyway. Pretty was too...soft. Too plain sounding.

"I like her," he repeated, staring forward at the empty place setting in front of him, expression contemplative and a bit pensive. "But...I think...just as a friend?"

Sora looked down, afraid to look directly at Riku as he plunged forward. "I don't want to do those things with her..." He swallowed hard, pretty sure his face was bright red at the moment. "You know, stuff like what we did last night."

He wanted to ask if Riku had enjoyed it, if the experience had been as amazing for his friend as it had been for him. But Sora wasn't that brave. It'd been hard enough to even admit that he was having second thoughts about dating Kairi in the first place. It had complicated so much between all three of them. And now he was wanting to ask Riku if he'd enjoyed going down on his other best friend? How did that help anything?

Yet he wanted to know so desperately, but the words just wouldn't come. And Sora had never felt the distance between the two of them so acutely as when he'd pulled away from Riku moments before. He wanted to lean back against him, have Riku wrap his arm around his shoulder and tell him all of this was fine to feel, but he couldn't. Guys didn't touch other guys unless they were...well, not what Sora was, right? Even then, he couldn't remember Riku ever cuddling anyone in public, or even acting the stereotypical way Sora always figured most gay guys simply were with each other.

Nothing made sense right now. Last night had even made more sense than now, when all he'd had to do was chase his instincts and give in to whatever felt good or right. But had it cost him one of his closest friendships? Sora had a feeling he'd find out sooner than he wanted and he wasn't sure if he was going to like the answer.

o - o

Riku felt his eyes widen, his face flush, and his heart do a little leap that he had certainly not given it permission to do. Yes! Then all at once, it all fell again. Wait. Sora didn't think he liked Kairi as more than a friend, but then why did he kiss her like he… liked her. Did he kiss her like he kissed me last night, he wondered. What did it mean if he did? Then,what would it mean if he didn't?

He glanced sideways at his friend, a swell of hope inside of him refusing to be properly squashed, and set aside like it should have been. Now he didn't know what to say, though. He just had one question, but was not sure he could ask it. Do you want to do those things with me… again?

The words refused to form in his mouth, however. Instead he finally asked, "Have you, you know, talked to her about this stuff? 'Cause I'm no expert, but if you don't wanna date someone, you probably shouldn't."

Riku couldn't exactly help the level tone he'd used there, or the fact that his usual sarcasm managed to slip in on top of that. Really, he was too distracted trying to sort his own shit out to keep track of sounding or acting sympathetic even then. It just wasn't him. He was, nevertheless, waiting for an opening. A chance to ask his question, come what may. Yeah, he knew the answer would probably hurt, but he needed to know.

"Like what we did last night…" It hadn't sounded disgusted, right? Sora had just seemed a little embarrassed. That was good… wasn't it?

o - o

It took all his effort not to flinch at the accusatory tone Riku had taken with him. Sora knew he shouldn't be offended. Riku was always direct, didn't see the point in dancing around a topic. It was one of the things Sora had always admired about his friend, wished he could emulate, actually.

"I know," he said miserably. "And I thought it was over yesterday and we were both gonna try to move on." That would've been the easy way out of it, at any rate, and Kairi had seemed willing to give it to him, if still a bit peeved off that he'd been too much of a wimp to actually break up with her himself.

"But then this morning she caught me on our way to class and apologized and stuff," he said, shaking his head a little, dazed. It had all happened so quickly. Girls could be so confusing. "So now I don't know where we stand."

Sora bounced his legs a little under the table in a burst of frenetic energy. He was an athlete, didn't like sitting still for so long at a time. It also didn't help that his nerves were frayed beyond measure.

But then his body calmed, as if of its own accord, as a sobering thought hit him.

"I'm guessing everything would be pretty clear if she found out about what happened between us last night, ha?" The idea was a tempting one, but it was completely mean, Sora knew. Completely out of character for him too. Did he really want to lose Kairi this way?

"I don't want to ruin our friendship," he admitted," but I'm guessing it's going to be pretty hard to stay friends if we break up." He was talking more to himself than Riku. "Too bad I didn't think of this before we started dating," he muttered.

With a bit of a frustrated hrumph, Sora leaned forward, catching his face in the palms of his hands, elbows on the table in front of him. His life. Why did it suck so much?

"I don't want to go back to my dorm room," he moaned, realizing his tone was taking on a bit of a whiny edge. "Don't want to do homework, or talk to her right now or anything. This is all such a fuckin' mess." Half of his words were coming out muffled, his voice muted a little by the cover of his own hands. "Wish I'd just stayed in bed this morning too..."

He trailed off, too shy to finish the rest of his thought out loud, even under the safety of current position.

Wish I'd just stayed in bed this morning...with you.

o - o

"So do I," Riku muttered before he could stop himself. He wanted to wake up to Sora more than anything, but he also wondered what would have happened if the brunette had stayed. Would it have been good or bad? Would they have gotten this talk out of the way earlier, and to better or worse results? It might've been easier to talk about more clearly if that bitch hadn't come back with a new card to play: forgiveness. What a load of bullshit!

Then he got an idea. Sora didn't want to go back to his dorm room… he wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but it was something.

"Hey," he said, finally turning to look at his friend directly in the eyes. Riku wanted to know for sure what the guy's reaction to this was as he asked. "You don't have to go back to your room. You're still welcome in mine."

It was strange having to resist the urge to wink at Sora when he said that. This is not the time, he had to tell himself. Maybe… maybe when things cleared up a bit, calmed down, could they…maybe?

o - o

Eyebrow quirked almost comically, Sora's surprise was obvious.

"Seriously?"

Jesus, he was doing a lot of blurting out of crap that might be better left unsaid today, wasn't he? It was just how Sora was, that much was clear. Sometimes he wished he could just practice a little bit of restraint like Riku did though.

And then he stopped to think about just how a comment like that would be taken. It didn't necessary express the eagerness he wanted it to.

Wait. Did he want to sound eager? To go back to Riku's bedroom? Uh...well, maybe not. The frustrating thing was he simply didn't know.

Hedging his bets, Sora went for a safer, more neutral approach.

"I mean, yeah, actually, if you're cool with it. Maybe we could play some playstation or something. Didn't you just get an advance copy of Uncharted 3?"

Sora personally couldn't remember if Riku had or not, but it seemed like a safe topic. Playing video games in general seemed safe.

"I have to give you back your t-shirt and...stuff...too, at some point," he added, looking a bit sheepish.

Standing quickly, Sora caught Riku's arm with a bit of a toothy grin. "C'mon. I'll grab some snacks from the cafeteria and let's get out of here."

Too many people. It wasn't something Sora usually minded, honestly. Right now though, there was really only one someone he wanted to be around.


	7. Chapter 7: Uncharted

**Nic**: Okay, guys. This is for real now with the not updating until I'm settled into my flat overseas. It's an insanely quick trip that's going to be jam-packed. I'll do my best to update while I'm there but I can't make any promises. Worst case scenario, you'll have to wait about a week for the next update.

ANYWAY, hi. So this chapter was fun to transfer over because it had FORTY-EIGHT roleplay replies. My girlfriend and I are insane-beans. The good stuff comes a little later on, as I needed to split this chapter up to avoid 15,000 words in one sitting, but it's definitely in this chapter so hang in there. Also, if there are typos, I'll try to proof-skim this next week and fix them. I know I should do that before posting. Sorry. I'm lazy (exhausted…same thing)

In the interim, let us know how we're doing. The reviews so far have been awesome. They also motivate us to get our crap in gear and write more.

* * *

><p>"Fuck damnit," Sora howled at the television screen in front of him. "There is no way that fall should've killed me." A crease of frustration furrowed his brow. "I've fallen further below. Way further!"<p>

He shot one more frustrated glare at the TV before turning to Riku and shoving the playstation controller in his general direction.

"Here, you try," he said. "I'm almost certain you have to swing from the chandelier I just demolished down to that ledge and then climb down. I just suck at directing this guy."

It'd been almost two weeks since their encounter after the frat party. Two weeks also since Sora had done his very best to explain to Kairi that he just wanted to be friends and nix the dating portion of things. Sora still wasn't sure she was accepting it very well though, to be honest.

In fact, Sora was pretty sure he'd hear Kairi mentioning setting up a double date for them at some point in the near future. She was also always bringing up how she and Sora should go out with Riku and whoever he was dating. To rekindle the friendship, she'd said. Or something similar.

Quite honestly, the idea of Riku dating someone else, of looking at someone else with his stunningly intense eyes, made Sora a bit queasy to think about. Jealous much?

He'd told Riku about the issue with Kairi, just a little. But lately Sora had just been keeping it to himself. Whenever he started bringing Kairi up, Riku got distant. That was just about the last way he wanted Riku to act around him.

Instead, Sora had focused on safer topics of conversation, like school and sports and Uncharted 3, which was currently kicking his ass royally. At least the game was so awesome he couldn't say he minded. It was like watching a movie, except in the last 15 minutes it'd been one stuck on repeat as he continually watched himself fall to his untimely death.

With finals fast approaching too, this all seemed enough to keep both Riku and Sora adequately distracted fro the time being, at least.

Dramatically, Sora flopped backwards onto Riku's bed, staring up at the back of Riku's white hair. His friend was currently facing away from him at his computer desk, eyes intent on the television screen in front of him as he successfully completed the leap Sora had gotten himself killed on at least 13 times by now.

Figured. Riku was always better at these techy things than he was.

"I should dye my hair," Sora said suddenly. His voice was playful, maybe a bit mischievous. About as serious as he usually was which wasn't very.

He looked up a bit when Riku didn't initially say anything.

"Whaddya think, Riku," he prodded. "You with your white and me with…blue, maybe? That'd look pretty cool together." Sora couldn't help the grin that was spreading across his face at the thought. He'd probably look like total shit with blue hair.

Yeah, pretty shitty idea, he thought to himself, flopping back down entirely onto the sheets. And yet…we'd definitely look cute together like that, me and Riku.

o - o

"You know you can't get your hopes up, right," his friend had warned him over the phone.

"Yeah, I got it," he'd all but snapped back. "I'm not an idiot."

Hands had been held up as if in defense, and really it hadn't been any of the guy's business. He'd just asked about something, and Riku had let a bit of the situation with Sora slip out without meaning to. Well, there was really nothing he could do about it now besides let the man talk long enough to make himself feel useful, so he had. Unfortunately, that meant that a flood of advice had been spit out at him, and he hadn't exactly cared for his friend's tone; as though the guy knew more about potential heart-aches than he did.

Fuck Dom! Riku had been in love with his best friend since high school. What the fuck did Dom know about any of it?

Of course, he kept having to remind himself not to get his hopes up the more time that Sora spent with him because the brunette always managed to slip something in that made him wonder, think; hope. He tried to shrug however, as though it all meant very little to him; whether he pulled it off or not…

"What," he quipped. "You don't think white and brown look good together? You'd have to change your color to look good with mine?"

He wasn't sure how teasingly that came out, honestly. Riku was still concentrating on the game, and not thinking about those long, lean muscles stretching out further on his bed beside him just begging him to roll over and press his friend's warm body into his mattress. No, he was definitely not thinking about that… at all.

o - o

"Well, brown's just boring, ya know," Sora replied. "Compared to neon green or whatever."

It was at that moment that the game locked into movie mode. Sora sat up and moved to the edge of the bed closer to Riku to watch it, making appropriately adolescent sounds as the entire ship their action hero was on officially sank in its entirety, only to find the character washed up on shore…within walking distance of his female contact.

How convenient.

As a totally dull conversation between those two ensued Sora turned back to Riku. The scenes involving Elena always bored him. She was computer controlled. Not like she'd end up dying anyway. Nowthatwould've been interesting.

"Doesn't matter anyway," he said with a bit of a shrug. "Coach Marinelli would murder me if I showed up for practice with purple hair or something. Too bad though. Could've been fun."

He yawned a little as the movie scene ended and the setting changed to an airport hangar they were apparently supposed to be breaking into at night to avoid a confrontation with guards. Sora seriously doubted it'd go as smoothly as all that, if he knew this game series at all.

"Kinda hungry now," he said, his tone a little whiny as he pointed to the mini-fridge beneath his friend's desk. "How about you, Riku? Got anything good you don't mind sharing with me? I'll pay you back in Fruit Loops reconnaissance missions on the weekend if you want." Sora was back to grinning in his typically good-natured manner. "Promise."

o - o

Riku felt himself shrugging, pausing the game as he indicated the mini fridge in the corner of the room. "You're welcome to anything you find in there that you think is edible," he replied in a dry tone. "Not sure fruit loops are a good enough repayment, though. I'm sure we'll figure something else out before either one of us starves, though."

It was interesting how little effect the incident from a few weeks ago seemed to have on their friendship from Sora's end of things, but how difficult what he'd seen as his one and only chance to be with the brunette that way really made things for him. Even now, as his friend got up to cross the room, Riku felt as though he couldn't concentrate properly. Not that he could really avoid staring at Sora before, but now he really couldn't help himself.

When the brunette glanced at him, though, Riku made sure that his eyes were appropriately placed on something far more innocent. Like the controller, television, or anything other than the other male's nicely toned ass… and body.

"Find anything you like," he asked casually after a minute or two. "…other than alcohol, I mean."

o - o

Sora had already begun rummaging through the contents of Riku's small fridge when the comment registered with him. He stood up abruptly. Unfortunately, his head hadn't quite cleared Riku's desk by the time he straightened, and Sora ended up slamming into it quite literally head first with an audible crack.

"Ow," he groaned as he rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "God, I suck…at doing anything lately."

Embarrassed and cheeks also burning from his friend's pointed comment, Sora slunk back to Riku's bed empty-handed, his normally carefree disposition decidedly less so at the moment.

"You were drinking a ton that night too you know," he muttered, audible but low, feeling the sting of Riku's words. It wasn't like him to be confrontational, and he really wasn't being very much like it now. It was still more direct than he usually was though, and he probably had the growing bump on the back of his head to thank for it.

Sora groaned again, lowering himself gingerly onto Riku's bed. About the only use he could think of for bottled alcohol right now was as an ice pack to place against his throbbing head.

o - o

At Sora's comment, Riku froze unsure for a moment what to do as he stared at his friend, and wondered where on earth that comment had come from. Oh, he'd mentioned alcohol to the brunette hadn't he. Without thinking, he snorted giving his friend a sort of taunting look.

"I wasn't talking about that night," he drawled, "but it seems you would like to." Raising an eyebrow he fixed the brunette with a stare that dared Sora to speak up. Say something,he practically shouted at the other male in his head. Mention it! Do something other than just pretend it didn't happen.

It took a moment for him to realize that Sora had actually smacked his head because the comment had distracted him so much. "How's your head," he added slowly, as though in spite of himself.

He didn't want to side-track the conversation when they were finally getting to the meat of it, finally. That's when he decided that tonight they would talk about this. No matter what, they were going to talk about what had happened a few weeks ago. After all, he hadn't been the only one thinking about it, had he? Sora just spit that question out, so obviously he'd been thinking about it, too.

Riku wondered if the thoughts were to his detriment or if maybe his friend had thought something positive about the experience. His friend had finally broken up with the girl he apparently hadn't wanted to date in the first place, or tried to. That had to mean something, didn't it?

o - o

"What's there to talk about," Sora practically moaned, still holding his head. "I fucked up and I've been trying to figure out what to do about it ever since."

He tried to look up at Riku, but his friend's image blurred until Sora could see three outlines of silvery white hair very clearly. Damnit, he'd hit his head hard.

"I'm surprised you're still talking to me anymore. Kairi's not gonna be after this."

His voice had gotten quieter, almost hushed. To ward off the dizziness, Sora closed his eyes, hoping it would stop the spinning at least a little. He took a deep breath in and exhaled audibly, shakily. This was all his fault. So was that night. And why'd he have to go and take Riku's comment so personally? Riku was always a snarky bastard about things. Sora knew that, and also realized he should've just let the comment slide like he usually did whenever his friend made pointed comments. Sora was good at deflecting sarcasm with positivity. What was different now?

"Head hurts," he replied to Riku's last question. "Just need a moment. Probably."

He just needed a moment for everything, actually. Not that it'd help when it came to that night in the least. That was one thing Sora knew unequivocally.

o - o

"What's there to talk about," Riku mocked, choosing to ignore the comment about how his friend's head hurt for now. "Because nothing at all happened between us the night we both got drunk; nothing."

He couldn't help his tone, just then. It was a bit nasty and more than a little sarcastic to say the least, but Riku had been holding this in for so long, which was not at all like him, and he could simply not take it anymore. Sure he had taken a bit of advantage of his friend, being drunk and in the moment as he had been, but that didn't excuse the fact that Sora had been teasing him or that he had kissed him first. Because if they were going to get into that, the brunette had kissed him first, and had never once said or done anything to stop him.

Just because he'd finally started the conversation, however, did not in the slightest mean that Riku knew how to continue it. Instead, he just sat there staring at his longtime friend, glower slipping slowly from his face until he finally stood to grab hold of the brunette's arm, and guide him back to the bed.

"Who cares about Kairi," he muttered as he pressed Sora towards the bed beside him. Then, a little louder he added, "Just lean back, that should help… but don't go to sleep or anything."

o - o

"I care about Kairi," Sora said defiantly, "And I care about you too, which is why this is so fucking confusing."

But he was being pushed toward the bed, and for a moment Sora simply let himself be led. "Don't wanna go to sleep anyway," he said, trying to sound as defiant as he just had moments before. Petulant was probably a more appropriate word for what it came out as though.

Sitting down, Sora felt himself teeter before giving in and simply lying down full-out. Maybe it was his own act of rebellion against Riku's orders. Yeah, that'd show him, Sora thought unconvincingly.

"Will you just sit with me for a sec, maybe," he said instead, as if his voice had a mind of its own. Wasn't he supposed to be pissed right now at being called out? So much for that. From his vantage point on his back, Sora saw aquamarine eyes staring back at him, so deep, so uninterpretable. And more than anything right now, Sora found himself wanting to bury his face in Riku's shoulder, wanting someone to answer the questions he was too afraid to ask. Somehow.

o - o

"What's so confusing," he asked, a moment before biting down hard on his tongue. Shit. He hadn't meant to actually ask that out loud, but he'd been so powerfully curious about it. Was confusing a good thing or a bad thing? Did he want Sora to be confused about something that concerned the two of them, but then again if his friend continued down the same sure line of reasoning that he'd been pursuing all through high school, wouldn't he still be with Kairi?

"I mean," he began, but cut himself off. No, he did want to know what was so damn confusing.

When Sora laid his head on Riku's shoulder, the white haired boy had to still himself. He wanted this, but he didn't want to be jerked around either. He liked the brunette, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. What if… but what if not? That was not something he could really consider without feeling some pain, and Riku was not about to deal with pain just then.

So instead of stopping himself, or rewording his question like he'd considered, Riku decided to leave it at that. He let Sora rest where he was, one hopeful arm slipping out around his friend's shoulders to pull him closer. What if tonight was the night that they finally admitted… but then why think of that now when the answer could still be no? No. He would wait and see where this conversation headed first.

o - o

There was something comforting in the muscular curve of Riku's shoulder for Sora. Or there was until he vaguely recalled those muscles were attached to an arm and a hand that had wrapped itself around his throat, holding him in place as they'd both kissed one another so roughly that night.

Now, lying flat on Riku's bed side-by-side, Sora wondered why he'd let Riku do it. More specifically, why did it make his whole body hot to think about? And he didn't want to answer the simple question Riku had posted, especially not after having embarrassed himself so thoroughly a second ago. Plus, it wasn't as if Riku had been completely nice in his tone until a second ago either.

"I'm straight, right," he started, the question more rhetorical in a 'duh' kind of way than anything. "I don't have anything against gay people. Obviously." His head still throbbing, Sora's thoughts weren't quite as direct as they probably otherwise would've been.

"And sometimes I feel like a total shithead because I don't get how you can deal with always having to hide stuff from your parents about it." He found himself turning onto his side, his voice muffling a little as he hid in the crook of Riku's shoulder. "I'm a shithead because I never bothered to ask about the guys you were dating either. If you were…or if you had a boyfriend ever, I mean.

"But when I dated girls, it was no big deal and you always saw them and…" If possible, Sora had just walked his way into losing his own train of thought. God, his head hurt so much. He knew he hadn't hit it hard enough to get a concussion, but it was still painful, still throbbing and making it difficult to focus.

Against Riku's shoulder, Sora made a frustrated, grouchy sound.

"Eugh, I don't know! I'm straight. I've only ever dated girls. But I don't regret that night after the party, and I can't stop thinking about it and it makes me feel…" Sora hesitated. How did thinking about Riku's body pressed up against his make him feel? How did remembering how hot it was the way Riku looked at him and put his mouth on him…

"…not bad. Or grossed out or anything. About the opposite, actually," he said. "So I'm confused, but I don't regret anything."

Sora felt his cheeks heat up in a wholly involuntary manner. Had he just said all that? Out loud? While curled up in Riku's arms? Did he really regret nothing? No, he had regrets now, he remembered. He had that one regret.

"…except maybe drinking all that alcohol."

o - o

Heart taking a leap for his throat, Riku felt the pounding in his veins before his brain finished processing what it was that Sora had said. Initially, the word 'straight' had pounded through, and everything had gone very numb waiting for the final blow that he knew, without any doubt, was coming. The rest of that babbling had been so unexpected that his body was practically trembling before he actually heard what the brunette had just told him.

He wanted to add a sarcastic 'except' when his friend did it for him, and the result was not what he initially expected, at all. Except maybe… me? But no, he regretted the thing that had given him the hangover instead of the thing that had taken advantage of him? Well, that was what he'd done, after all. The guilt hadn't completely gone away, despite all of his justifications for the actions that caused it.

But this…? Was it a chance? It had to be a chance. He felt… the opposite of grossed out. What the fuck was the opposite of grossed out? Was it turned on… like Riku had been every time his mind brought images of Sora under his control back to Riku? Sora writhing, moaning, and … stop now. Before he could get all excited, he had to find out what the brunette was saying for sure.

"So, are you saying… I mean, do you mean that… maybe," Riku hesitated. Sora… it was too good to be true, wasn't it? He'd always been warned about things that were too good to be true, or that might be. This was impossible, but… "Are you bi, maybe," he finally asked, hope swelling up before he could stop it.

o - o

"Bi?" Sora blinked, pulled away from Riku a little to regard him. "Like, dating lots of people at a time?"

His eyes were open, if a bit unfocused from his headache, and showed clear confusion.

"No…no way. That'd feel like cheating," he said, head nodding slightly but firmly, absolutely certain of that conviction. "I felt like shit when I thought I was cheating on Kai—" he clamped his mouth shut. Talking about Kairi wasn't going to help things, given how Riku seemed to feel about her. "You know. I don't know what I am," he mumbled instead.

Tentatively, Sora returned to Riku's shoulder, almost snuggling in, hoping against hope he wouldn't get pushed away at what he was just about to say. "Did you like …what we did that night? I-I did," he said, voice shaking a little, now uncertain and feeling entirely vulnerable. "I thought it was going to ruin our friendship though. I didn't think you'd want to talk to me anymore."

And, quite honestly, the thought of losing one of his closest friendships scared Sora more than he even knew how to say.

o - o

Riku almost snorted; almost. Such ignorance, but then it was to be expected with the way their families treated anything out of the ordinary; particularly something so controversial as being gay. He started to shake his head preparing his rebuttal, but Sora continued on.

His friend's question caused a strange heat to slide up his neck, and creep up his cheeks. Did he like it? He instigated it, didn't he? Well, no, actually Sora had done that with the kiss. Maybe that's what he'd been worried about. That he'd started something that Riku hadn't wanted. That was… surprisingly… was it sweet of his friend? Maybe tender was a better word, even.

"I-I liked it, yeah," he stuttered, and then growled slightly. He did **not **stutter. Then something the brunette said got his attention. "Wait… you liked it? Really? As in… liked, would do it agai-uh… with me?"

He still needed to explain bisexual properly, but that could wait in light of what might have just happened. Had Sora just said that? Surely, Riku had misunderstood. Why was he so excited about a misunderstanding?

o - o

So many emotions. So many emotions in a single moment that Sora didn't know which one to address first, or if any one of them was more important than the other.

He felt embarrassed. That was probably the most identifiable, mostly because he wished a hole would open in the floor below and swallow him up entirely at this point. He'd just admitted he'd enjoyed his friend going down on him when they were both drunk. How else was he supposed to feel?

Then there was that excruciating feeling of confusion and disgust at his own actions. It wasn't fair to Riku, what he'd done. And he couldn't honestly explain even quietly to himself why he'd been thinking about that silly high school dare as much as he had been lately. And then there was the liking it part when it happened again. So many confusing feelings and thoughts and realizations and…

Riku's words. He said he liked it too.

Well, of course he would. Riku was gay, wasn't he? And Sora was a guy, so of course he'd like doing that with…

But Sora knew that was a BS cop-out of a thought. It wasn't like he'd been attracted to every girl he'd come across, or would want to be intimate with them like that if he were given the option. In the same vein, Riku probably wasn't like that either.

So did that mean…

"Do you like me too," he blurted, forcing himself upright into a seated position looking down at Riku below him before he could stop himself, almost at the same time that Riku posed his question.

His face was red. Sora was absolutely certain of that. And although their distance had increased, Sora was still clutching the folds of Riku's t-shirt on the side he'd just been curled up into, his knuckles pressed against the side of Riku's ribs slightly.

For some reason, sitting up almost over Riku's chest induced a trembling deep in Sora's chest and his vision began to swim as the pounding at the back of his head increased in intensity. He swayed in place for a second, forced to close his eyes to keep his balance.

"You wouldn't want to do it again with me," he said, his voice a strangled whisper. "I don't have any experience with this…with guys. You know…at all. And you're…"

Experienced. Amazing. **Hot**.

Oh god, he'd never forgive himself if he fainted right now. Sora forced his eyes open, forced himself to focus.

So soft it was almost inaudible even to himself, Sora spoke again, blue eyes fearful now as he forced himself to hold Riku's gaze. His friend deserved that much from him.

"You're the only guy I've ever liked…this way."

o - o

He nodded at Sora's question without thinking, something he would have stopped to think about had his mind been working properly, but it was not. The brunette didn't seem to notice his answer though, because his friend continued on in the same vein as before, and Riku had to sit there and stare at him trying to figure out what his shorter friend was getting at.

The hand at his side didn't matter just then, but it mattered very much. What would happen if he… well, whatwould happen?

Sora stole his wandering attentions back though, forcing him to listen carefully to quietly uttered sentences that made his skin prickle and his stomach quiver. He grabbed hold of the hand at his side by the brunette's wrist, and leaned towards his friend.

"You really arebi," he muttered, astonished. So he did have a shot. And then, before Sora could change his mind and leave, Riku added, "Yes, I would."

He'd like to do quite a lot of things with this guy, actually. The long hidden away fantasies came rushing into his mind just then, causing a bit of heat to rush to his face and neck, but also lifting a corner of his mouth into what could almost be mistaken for a confident smirk despite the quivering in the taller body.

o - o

"I-I'm not…" Sora tried to reassert. Not bi, not a cheater. He hoped. Just a straight guy with a really confusing problem: he couldn't get his male friend off his mind lately.

He might've continued, but the pressure against his wrist made his breath hitch as his friend pulled himself a little closer to Sora's face.

I would? I would what, Sora wondered in a daze.

What would Riku like to do? He could hardly remember at this point what he'd even said just a moment before.

And, oh god, Riku was so close, and Sora was beginning to feel his body heat up in a way completely removed from his recent feelings of embarrassment.

Then it came to him. You wouldn't want to do it again with me, he'd said. And Riku had said…oh. Oh.

And his friend's lips were curving irresistibly upward into a smirk that had almost always made Sora's stomach flip, whether he'd ever acknowledged it or not.

Riku wants to do things again with me. Things like we did that night that he…

Sora's eyes widened a moment, but before he could second guess himself, before he could pull away or think to get indignant about being called bi once again, he was leaning down, lips brushing tentatively against the corner of Riku's mouth. Against curve that created that alluring smirk.

His body was still trembling, still unbalanced and likely not capable of holding the position for much longer. But the kiss, though light, was definitive against the side of Riku's mouth. His breath, though hot against Riku's skin, was ragged. Part of Sora still couldn't believe this all wasn't just a dream, or some sort of screwed up hallucination brought on thanks to his recent head injury. Then again, maybe it was. If that was the case though, he planned on going with it until he woke up.

o - o

"Yes, y-" Riku began, but the dazed face leaning towards him shut him up, and made his breath slide raggedly through his lips in surprise. Sora was leaning towards him, and that realization came only a brief moment before soft lips tentatively touched his, causing whatever expression he was now holding to freeze in place at the feeling.

Sora was kissing him, again. His stomach did a strange combination of flipping and fluttering, and out of a habit he hadn't been fully aware he had Riku pushed his brunette friend over onto his bed before rolling over to face him. In one smooth movement, he had one hand on Sora's shoulder holding him down, while the other held his chin firmly so that Riku could press his lips passionately against the other male's mouth.

"Bisexuals," he began between hard kisses, "are people… who… like anyone… regardless… of gender." When he finished his brief and admittedly sarcastic explanation, Riku pressed his whole body against Sora's, giving him one last rough kiss before pulling away. "If that didn't gross you out," he finished, sitting back up, "then you're probably bi. Unless kissing Kairi grossed you out, then you're just in the closet."

Apparently he couldn't help that last tiny little jibe, even though he had quite possibly won. If that bitch still tried to force them into some double date situation, he would be more than happy to show up with his hand wrapped around Sora's waist, and kiss the brunette right in front of her. The underhanded bullshit would stop now.


	8. Chapter 8: Uncharted II

**Nic**: Man, longest two weeks ever, and then eff up dot net wouldn't let me post this. I was trying all day.

Sorry about that. I did not in any way anticipate Spain being so hectic. In awesome news, I got to visit family on the East Coast and celebrate my birthday there though.

So you'll all forgive me for taking so long to get this next section up because it was my birthday, right? I'm not as young as I used to be so my energy levels are pretty low. Respect your elders, yo. ;)

Also, please don't kill me for where I ended this. 10K words for one chapter was just too much. I'll strive to get the next section up by the end of the weekend though…and then never write a smut scene this long again, maybe? But probably not.

* * *

><p>Sora could hardly process what Riku was saying between kisses. They were hard, insistent, made the back of his head ache even worse as it pressed painfully into the mattress.<p>

He wanted more.

Sora moved to reach for Riku but found his arm pinned down by the shoulder. A soft sound escaped his lips but was swallowed almost immediately by Riku's pressing mouth.

And then Riku was done and moving away before Sora could even try to kiss him back. He reached for his friend automatically, trying to copy Riku's movement and sit up but found himself unsteady, unable to hold the position for more than a second.

"Not grossed out," he said, almost shyly. "Just confused. Mom and Dad always said…"

But he didn't finish the sentence. It didn't really matter what his parents thought, because much like Riku's they were never going to hear about this if he could help it. And he trusted Riku. If Riku said that's what it meant to be bisexual, then okay. Maybe that's what he was, although the term sounded strange to him still, somehow wrong. There had to be a term for what he was feeling toward Riku. Straight obviously wasn't cutting it. Maybe bisexual would.

Sora was feeling the distance acutely by now, even though his friend was merely sitting up a few inches away. He wanted to grab Riku, slide his hands up under his shirt and explore, all things he hadn't been able to do while he was completely shitfaced the other night.

But Sora wasn't brave enough. He'd seen the guys who hung around Riku. They were a lot more muscular than he was, for the most part. Suddenly he felt self-conscious. Riku had seen him naked, and there were probably tons of other guys who looked better than him without clothes on. But still, he'd said… all those things just now. Did he truly mean them?

"If…um, if you did mean all those…" Sora paused, not sure what to say. It was him who'd been doing all the talking, not Riku. Riku had only said the minimum. But still, he'd kissed Sora back. Did that mean…?

"Can we do it again," he asked. "What we just did? I'm probably not very good doing it with a guy, but…" Almost of their own accord, Sora's hands were tugging reflexively on the bottom of Riku's t-shirt, not enough to pull him forward, but just enough to give him a hint…if he wanted to take it.

o - o

Riku rolled his eyes automatically at the mention of whatever it was that Sora's parents said, and he didn't see the point in reminding his friend that everything both of their parents had to say about sexual minorities (gay men like himself included) was ignorant bullshit that only bigots like them actually trumpeted. If they weren't so closed-minded, Riku might have actually come out to more than just his closest friends, and it might not have been the mortifying accident that it had been. He had to admit that he was more than a little bitter about that, too.

Sora was distracting him from his grudging thoughts however, and Riku couldn't say that he minded in the least. The awkwardness of his long-time friend when it came to anything remotely intimate had always been fairly cute, as far as he was concerned, but he'd never been able to really let himself admire the brunet openly like this. It seemed that there were quite a few things that he missed when he had to tear his eyes away quickly, and sneak glances here and there.

For example, there was the way that Sora looked at him out of the corners of his eyes, like that would make it easier to glance away and then back and then away again. There was the way he fidgeted, like he wanted to do something, but stopped himself or hesitated or something. There was the way that he tensed his cheeks, almost as though he was going to bite those perfect lips of his, which of course made Riku want to lean forward and bite them for him first. He didn't though, hesitating himself until Sora gave him some clue that he did still want that, or was still interested.

Maybe it was silly, but Riku was still waiting for the brunet to take everything he'd said back. So he got another surprise when Sora asked if they could… do it again?

Without thinking or even pausing, he leaned forward and kissed his friend hard on the mouth, opening his lips slightly, and biting the brunet's perfect bottom lip before slipping his tongue into a mouth that he had opened and withdrawing it just as quickly. He shifted his body, sliding one knee over Sora's thighs, and pressing it into the bed on the other side, straddling his friend as he slid a hand around that slender throat holding the brunette down.

When he wasn't sure if he could breathe properly anymore, Riku broke away, sucking in air like he'd been stuck at the bottom of a pool for a few seconds too long, but keeping their lips close together so that they were still brushing. "Kissing a guy," he responded, out of breath, "is just like… kissing a girl… except better."

And with that, he pressed roughly down against Sora's mouth, again.

o - o

Well, yeah, Sora knew that kissing was the same, no matter what your gender. Didn't mean he really knew what was acceptable to do afterward…

He'd been with girls before, and more often than not, they liked him being in control. Sora knew how to act, what to do, in situations like that. He wasn't accustomed to being the one trapped underneath, couldn't say if it was even something he liked at the moment.

What he did know was pain. Pain mixed with increasing pleasure as Riku forged on. First it'd been his bottom lip, which had actually hurt. But that feeling was quickly replaced by the absolute heat that spread through his limbs the moment he felt Riku on top of him.

Riku's kisses were just as hard as the first ones, his mouth hot and experienced as he pressed Sora harder into the sheets and his mattress. Sora immediately felt an increasing tightness in his jeans the longer this went on. He wanted to reach up, to pull Riku closer to him and figure out how to relieve it, figure out how they could relieve it together. But with his friend's hand around his neck, Sora was limited in his movement, and any attempt to move simply shot white stars through his eyes. Between his head, his neck and the arousal, Sora figured he was lucky to be conscious at all at the moment.

Riku took a breath, coming up for air, and Sora felt himself lifting, trying to follow those hot lips wherever they went. Riku hadn't moved his vice-like grip from Sora's neck though, and he found himself gasping for breath a moment later, as his friend's words made his arousal soar.

"Yeah, but they're not totally the same eith—" he began to protest, but Riku's mouth was back on his and he'd forgotten what he was about to say in an instant. This time, Sora opened his mouth willingly, almost begging his friend to enter, to explore.

He so desperately wanted to explore too. This time around his hands were free though, he realized, and Sora wasted no time wrapping them around Riku's lower back. From there, they slid tentatively forward, around his lower ribs and to his stomach. Riku was tensing in his straddled position, that much Sora could tell for certain. His friend's abdominals were tight, flexing so he could feel the individual ridges of each muscle.

God, that was hot.

His hands slid upward, still over the t-shirt, and Sora found himself desperately wanting closer contact. When they reached the collar of Riku's shirt, he tugged, less gently this time than the first, as Sora tried to get Riku's body closer to his. Unconsciously, he raised his hips just a little off the bed, an indication of need at the very core. They couldn't go far though, since Riku's knees were holding him in place, couldn't do anything nearly as fast as he would like.

As the kisses grew more intense, the tightness in his pants became more of an issue, more uncomfortable by the second. Unable to move very far under Riku's grip, Sora let out a full-out moan into Riku's mouth this time, half speaking of frustration, half obviously indicating need.

o - o

Riku had never been this gentle with anyone he'd been in control over, and the few people who had been in control over him … well they had taught him the meaning of pain. He didn't want to do that to Sora, but he wasn't all that skilled at controlling himself when he wanted someone he had control over. The body beneath his squirmed, and he damn near moaned in response to the tension he could feel from the brunette. He wanted to strip the brunet naked, explore the lean body with his hands and mouth, taste and pound into him hard… but it was also too soon. Wasn't it?

The squirming didn't help his resolve at all, and neither did the friction his friend added when he pressed those tempting hips up to grind against a stiffening body part that Riku had been trying to keep hidden. If the brunet knew what that felt like, then he couldn't hide his own condition anymore, but he doubted his friend had any idea what he was feeling for yet. Maybe his secret was safe though, since a frustrated moan from between Sora's oh so tempting lips slipped out a moment later as his friend struggled beneath his grip. This was all hotter than he could have possibly imagined.

Pausing the kiss, he leaned back to look at the brunet, a smirk slipping naturally onto his lips as he looked at the hazy eyed male under his control. "What do you want, Sora," he asked in a sing-song tone before pressing his hips down to grind slowly against his friend's once before pulling away and watching the reaction it got him. "Is that what you were looking for," he continued. "More? Oh, you'll have to earn that."

He slid his face closer to Sora's again, and slid his teeth along the brunet's jawline down to a very slender neck before biting down with enough pressure to leave a bit of a mark and then sliding his tongue over the area before moving on. Riku didn't know why he was doing this when he knew it was too soon for them to do anything that would relieve this situation, but he couldn't really stop himself just then. He'd wanted to be with his friend like this for far too long to resist now that he was being given another chance.

Of course, that's when he remembered the brunet's slight head injury from earlier. Then he remembered his friend's unsteadiness from a few moments ago, and paused just as he had begun to grind their hips together again. "Sora," he asked, dropping the sarcastic, teasing tone for a moment. "How's your head?"

o - o

He was dizzy, breathless, and it couldn't all be from the sore spot on the back of his head…

These actions and movements Riku was performing — where had they come from? This was a side of Sora's friend he'd never seen before. Did sarcastic always translate into something so painful and teasing in bed? If Sora was truly being honest with himself, this is not how he'd imagined being with Riku, when he'd dared to imagine anything at all. He'd been going from past experiences during those fantasies, though. With girls. And they had absolutely never gone anything like this.

Mostly, they'd been gentle, with Sora leading and on top. Breasts and the sensitive parts of their bodies he could discern from the sounds they were making were all the main focuses. Teasing came into play too, of course, but it was light, fluttering movements and touches. What Riku was doing now…this withholding of touch entirely…was a type of teasing Sora was unfamiliar with, and it ached in a way he'd never felt before.

And that smirk. God, that smirk. He could almost see those upturned lips wrapping around his erection again like the first time they…

Quickly, Sora bit his lip to hold in the sound rising steadily up into his throat. A moment later, his eyes widened at the taste of coppery blood. He hadn't realized how hard he'd been chewing on the inside of his own mouth until then.

His eyes stayed wide as Riku questioned him, unsure if he was meant to say anything at all. A moment later, their hips connected, and Sora lost all pretense of keeping quiet, as a throaty moan deeper than he thought himself capable of issued force, audible throughout the room. It was silenced only by Riku's steady, sultry voice informing him more of the same wouldn't come cheap.

At this point, Sora was convinced he'd do pretty much anything to ensure a repeat.

The more Riku withheld, the more Sora writhed beneath him, crying out again as he felt sharp teeth at his throat. Everything was so hard, so…almost violent. This was not the Riku he knew, who he'd been friends with since childhood…was it? What had happened over the course of one year since he'd begun dating Kairi and their trio had grown further apart? Or had this always been Riku? Could Sora really have been so oblivious?

It was scaring him, but was an exhilarating feeling at the same time not knowing this secret, hidden part of his friend. What were his limits? How far would Riku go? How far would Riku let Sora go?

Then, just as suddenly as his friend had changed face, the Riku he knew was back. And maybe Sora might have clung to him, begging him to stay…if not for the grinding sensation again at their hips. The moment it stopped, he groaned again, hardly hearing his friend's question. He wanted it to continue, needed it to start up again, and when Riku seemed not to have plans to continue, Sora did it for him, rubbing their groins together tentatively at first, then harder and harder.

He couldn't move, could hardly breathe under Riku's grip, and the dizziness didn't seem as though it was fading. The pain itself was what was keeping him lucid and here and, realizing this, Sora bit down on his lower lip again to help clear his head. The action didn't last long though. As his hips rode upward again, pressing against Riku, Sora forced out the only words he thought he could handle right now. Filled with need, filled with longing, he wanted…

"Please, Riku. More…"

o - o

If the brunet had just been grinding, Riku could have handled that, pushing the issue about how Sora's head was doing until he got an answer. He had not anticipated… begging. That was definitely not something he had even kind of expected as they continued on, or at least not until much, much later when he really started teasing the brunette.

When those words left his friend's lips however, particularly when combined with that sultry expression of arousal that lit Sora's face and made him pull at those tempting lips with his own teeth, Riku couldn't hold himself back. He let out a low moan that might have also been a growl, and pressed their hips together hard at the same moment and same pressure that he connected their lips again. It was impossible to tell whether it was his teeth or Sora's that had broken the skin there because he tasted blood, but it was also remarkably unimportant.

He let himself moan into his friend's mouth, tasting the brunet and feeling him everywhere he could with one free hand, the other still pinning Sora by the throat as he pressed down, grinding and kissing and growling and moaning. At some point, the brunet's shirt began to bother him, and it was quickly pulled out of the way, then his own shirt, which was followed by a rough undoing of his friend's pants and shortly after that his own. Not that he could've recalled the way in which they both had ended up stripped down to their underwear later, but now that they were and there was more friction, more skin on skin, he found himself pulling back a little.

Riku didn't often find himself losing control when he was face to face with someone like this, but then again none of the guys he'd been with before had been more than a one-night-stand. A lustful, alcohol induced affair that broke up when morning arrived. This was Sora though, the guy that nearly all of his previous fantasies had included in one way or another.

So he slowed down, slightly. Looking at Sora and taking in his friend's erotic expression of lust and want, Riku became even more aroused by it all feeling his whole body pulse. He was out of breath, but that didn't mean he couldn't talk. Pressing their nearly naked groins together, he asked the brunet, "Do you like that, Sora? What about this?" He paused to close their mouths together in a fast, rough kiss before leaning back, again, and asking more questions and punctuating them with more grinding, biting, and groping as he played.

"What do you want me to do? Tell me… what… do… you… want."

o - o

Sora's vision was filled with white. White, sparkling stars around his peripherals, and silverly white flowing hair from Riku above him. He couldn't honestly say he'd thought about gay sex much before tonight, but Sora hadn't realized it'd end up being so...rough.

Before he could consider it further, Riku moaned. It was a primal but beautiful thing that made Sora's stomach flip to hear. A moment later, their mouths were reconnected, hips grazing one another harshly, and Sora found himself echoing the moan, directly into Riku's mouth. Riku followed suit, and Sora began struggling in an almost involuntary way, clawing almost desperately at his friend's shirt to feel the skin underneath.

That's about the time when Riku began undressing him.

Even that was rough. Sora wanted so desperately to match Riku's harshness, to make him feel as good as Riku was making him feel amidst the pain. But the moment his shirt was off, Riku's hand was on his throat again, pinning Sora to the bed, flat on his back. He wished he'd had more time to admire his friend's bare torso, but it was soon out of view, and nothing short of choking himself would've garnered him a look at this point.

That almost might've been worth it though.

Instead, Sora allowed himself to explore the only way he could - with his hands. They started low, at Riku's waist. He wanted to touch Riku outright now. He could already sense the size and shape of the erection through his friend's unbuttoned pants, but what Sora wanted was to feel that bare, tight skin in his own hands, throbbing and hot. He wondered if Riku would pulse like Sora did when he was touching himself...

The thought almost pushed Sora over the edge. That, coupled with a serious bout of nerves that Riku would reject that desire led his hands upward, over tight, defined abdominals and to his friend's smooth, firm chest. For a moment, one hand lingered around Riku's neck, flexing suggestively almost unconsciously as Sora mimicked the feeling of Riku's hand against his own throat. In the end, he settled with one on Riku's side, right below his ribs, the other caressing a muscled upper arm for as long as he was able.

It was Riku's words that set him on fire once again. That, and the slower, deliberate grinding into Sora's erection that by now was almost painful beneath his underwear. Did he like this? Was Riku kidding? Sora was practically writhing under him, begging to be touched. Released. Nevertheless, Sora opened his mouth to answer, only to have the one syllable word muffled by another violent kiss.

Then his friend seemed to slow, almost grinding to a halt with his movements entirely. Sora let out a frustrated sound, indifferent to how pathetic it might seem to Riku. He wasn't used to being teased like this; all of his encounters with other girls had always been pretty straightforward. And none of their voices had turned him on so much as his friend's words were doing now. His cock was practically twitching at every punctuated syllable. God, it hurt to have it confined at this point.

The first word out of Sora's mouth in response was more a moan than an actual word. He'd meant to say "god," but hadn't quite made it to the final letter before another needy moan was ripped from his throat. Hands searching, Sora tried pulling his friend toward him, desperate for more contact with their skin. Whether Riku was caught off-guard or simply decided to allow the aggression on Sora's part, the blue eyed boy didn't know. What he was aware of was just how close Riku's ear was to his own mouth now.

He lifted his head as much as Riku's oppressive grip would allow, hot breath exhaling near Riku's ear as he spoke. "T-touch me, Riku...please. Or, if not that..." he took in a ragged breath, trying to collect his thoughts enough to say something coherent.

"...then let me touch you."

o - o

For a moment, one slight squeeze reminded him of the first time he had ever been with someone, and of the only man who had ever put his hand around Riku's throat. His whole body tensed at the memory, expecting… but the hand moved away tentatively and sought another spot on his body to feel. Not quite relaxing, he let his friend's hands continue to explore his body, feeling the fluttering and the burning sensations that each cautious touch left on his skin.

He honestly hadn't expected a response to his question right away. Riku actually had assumed that he'd have to give Sora some options first, some more teasing and tongue, but his friend seemed to know what he wanted or he had run completely out of patience; one or the other. Unable to help himself, he let his hands trail slowly down the brunet's body, finally releasing Sora's throat.

"Like this," he asked, watching every single reaction Sora gave him in response. "What about here," he continued, hands sliding over the brunette's thighs. "Or maybe here," he added sliding his blunt nails slowly back up the insides of his friend's legs, but stopping just before reaching the boxers he could see were pressing down on an erection that Riku badly wanted to touch and taste.

Sora would have to speak up though, or risk torturing both of them to death, he decided. He would continue to slide his hands over innocent places on Sora's body until the brunette specified further, his smirk still lifting one corner of his mouth as he watched the other male's reactions to all of this.

o - o

Oh god. Riku was actually going to make him say it. No. No way. Sora couldn't do that. Riku was the smooth, sexy talker. If Sora did it, he was convinced he'd just sound stupid. What word would he even use? It's not like any of his girlfriends had ever mentioned it verbally to even slightly clue him in here. Was he supposed to use a dirty reference? Anatomical? A euphemism? What the fu—

As Riku's hand slid slowly up his thigh, Sora's hips bucked involuntarily and he let out a low, almost sorrowful moan. "Oh my god, Riku…you know…what…I meant."

His voice was shaking, stomach muscles clenching and unclenching as Riku scratched slowly upwards. Jesus, just touch me already! The tension was nearly unbearable for Sora.

But Riku was relentless. Frustrated, Sora reached for him, fingers flexing as though he was already scratching out his frustration against his friend's olive skin. Riku seemed to anticipate the action though, for Sora's hands came up empty, and a moment later, he felt a sharp, pleasurable pain along one inner thigh.

"Ga—mmmng, Riku. Please…"

Still nothing, and Sora was beginning to feel desperate.

"M-my boxers. Under them," he stuttered, face burning something awful, a mixture of arousal at the thought of Riku possibly touching him and utter embarrassment for being unable to say the word he had a feeling his friend was looking for.

o - o

Riku was completely torn. On the one hand, Sora had not done as he was told, and should be punished, in a manner of speaking. On the other hand, his friend was completely new to this being with a guy thing, and might be in need of a little bit of leniency this once. The blush on that gorgeous face alone might just make up for the fact that the brunet couldn't even bring himself to say the name of the body part they both had in common.

Just one little word, he found himself thinking at the other male. It's so easy for any other guy… but he forced his thoughts to stop there. He didn't want to compare Sora to any other guy he'd been with because he'd imagined most of those other guys were Sora while he was with them. Making any sort of comparison seemed wrong somehow.

Instead, he slowly slid one hand beneath the brunette's boxers, touching everything but the one spot where he knew Sora wanted, at least for now. "Is this what you want me to touch," he would ask as his fingers found the bulge of a hipbone. "What about this?"

He had never really been much of a tease, really. When he was in control, which he always was, he got what he wanted, and he got it fast. However, now he was having a bit of fun, and enjoying the begging, writhing mess his friend currently was… it was more than a little arousing to say the least. So he let Sora suffer for a few moments longer, his own cock throbbing every time the brunet let out a moan or a plea for something else, something more.

When he didn't think he could stand it anymore, Riku finally removed the fabric from around Sora's hips, and leaned forward to carefully slide his erection alongside his friend's. "Should I wrap my fingers around your cock, or nnng was there something else you wanted mmm-me to touch uuh-instead?"

o - o

Killing him. Riku was officially trying to kill him. It was the only coherent explanation Sora could come up with for what was happening to him right now. Under Riku's feather-light touch, Sora was trembling, sore skull temporarily forgotten as everything was focused downward, between his legs where Riku teased.

"Please…please." They were the only coherent words he could come up with in between desperate moans. As Riku's hand fluttered up to his hip, Sora found himself silently pushing Riku onward.

Closer, that's right. So close. God, just touch it. Pump me. Jesus, I want to come so bad.

It'd figure the only time he started becoming even remotely religious was during a time like this where he was sinning up the fuckin' wall.

He couldn't form the words though, out of shame or mere inexperience on his part, either one. Past girlfriends had been quiet, so so had he. The most he could recall ever speaking during intimacy was their name, soft and longing against their throats, sometimes breasts.

When he cried Riku's name, it had a different meaning, a different tone entirely. When Sora cried out Riku's name it was raw with lust and want. And need.

It seemed like eternity before Sora felt Riku's hands against his waist, peeling his boxers off and away. Freeing his erection elicited a soft sigh of relief on Sora's part. The brunet looked up now, eager to see Riku for the first time in such a way as well, face still flushed slightly, heavily lidded eyes watching his friend almost shyly.

But Riku didn't undress, merely slid the bulge under his pants against Sora's exposed, engorged flesh, pulling a guttural cry straight from the younger boy's chest as a consequence.

When Riku spoke again, his voice was smooth and almost purring his question. Sora visibly twitched in response, so eager to feel his friend's hands on him that he almost lost it entirely right then just at the thought. As it was, he was close, could feel the moistness at his slit increasing with every passing moment.

And Riku had given him a hint, a word he could use that was apparently acceptable in a situation like this. Sora went with it, completely lost in the moment. "Hnnn, yeah," he found himself humming at Riku's hot words. "Touch it. Please touch it…mmmy cock."

o - o

Smirking noticeably now, Riku grabbed hold of Sora's cock and squeezed, beginning to pump slowly with one hand while using the other to awkwardly undress himself. Finally getting his pants down to his ankles, he kicked them away before sliding himself free of those confining boxers, and grinding against the brunette's exposed body with a growl of pleasure and longing. He wanted to make Sora his in every way, but they just… they weren't… the brunet would probably push him away if he actually tried to enter the smaller male's body at this point. Besides, Riku wanted to take things slow… or had wanted to.

One slow pump then another, and soon he found that he needed to wrap his hand around himself, too. So it wasn't long before the need to grind his own bare cock against Sora's hard, hot erection became impossible to ignore. Wrapping his hand around both of them, Riku began to grind, growling more than moaning whenever the pleasure became too much for him to handle silently.

"What about that," he asked, out of breath but managing. "Do you like that? Harder? Faster? How badly do you want to come right now?" He asked each question out of breath, and with a long pause in between to keep the moaning that slid up his throat from coming out in his voice as he spoke. Besides, he wanted to appreciate Sora's delicious sounds of pleasure, drinking them in like a cool drink on a hot day. He wanted to see the sober brunet react to this situation, and push his limits with what he would have dared to do before.

o - o

Sora couldn't tell what was more arousing: feeling Riku's hand begin to stroke him or watching Riku undress in front of him. Either way, seeing his friend's obvious arousal plain in front of him drove Sora even closer to release. He wanted to look at it longer, maybe even touch it, but after only a short moment, Riku was on top of him again, grinding.

Just feeling Riku's exposed erection up against his own arched Sora's back upward and elicited another desperate moan on his part. Riku had a perfect body, as far as Sora was concerned: well muscled, toned, but also lean and sensuous. It was obvious his friend was comfortable within his own skin. The way his muscles rippled with each arousing grinding action against Sora's own lap was evidence enough.

At least when Riku began to talk to him again in that amazingly sensual purr, Sora was ready, or at least so far gone that he was no longer as self-conscious about saying something embarrassing in return.

"Feels so good," he murmured, feeling his entire body writhe as Riku pumped them both. "Faster…please, faster," he said, his voice plaintive, raw in its need. "I'm so close, Riku…so close…"

This time, Riku complied without comment, increasing his pace, watching Sora very closely with his startling aquamarine eyes. Even though Riku was currently being quiet, Sora replayed his friend's last teasing words through his head. He'd never thought dirty talk would do so much for him, but when it was Riku saying it? So hot. And Sora was definitely not being quiet. More and more frequently his moans punctuated the calm of Riku's dorm room with increasing urgency as Riku moved his hand faster and faster over the tight, hot skin of Sora's erection.

And then, an expert movement on Riku's part slid a thumb over Sora's slit, smoothing pre-come over his head as his friend continued to pump him. Sora's hips bucked, knocking harshly into Riku's that held him relatively still in place and Sora bit his lower lip so hard to keep from screaming he left visible teeth marks the moment he let go.

Feeling himself tense and tighten, Sora opened his mouth to give Riku a warning too late to really do anything. Shaking and crying out so loudly he had no illusions left that anyone within a 5 dorm room radius couldn't hear him, Sora released his first stream, then another and another onto his own stomach and abdomen. His back had been arching again without him realizing it, and he collapsed back onto the mattress in a sweaty, exhausted mess, his vision sparkling at the edges of his eyes, head still pounding painfully.

The pain receded the moment he was able to focus on Riku again though. There, straddling his thighs, was his gorgeous friend, mostly naked, and eyes on him in an almost hungry way. One hand was on a clean area of Sora's abdomen. The other though? The other was stroking his own rigid penis in slow, sure strokes.

Oh my god.

Sora felt a surge of blood rush back down toward his lap and a soft, aroused sound released from his throat at the sight. Was Riku going to come on him too? Command him to do something? By now, Sora was so far gone in his own lingering pleasure, he wasn't sure he could deny his friend anything he was told to do at this point.


	9. Chapter 9: Uncharted III

**Nic**: As promised, here's the final part of Uncharted. More smut. Rejoice. ;)

Also, for any Axel, Zexion, or Roxas fans out there, my lovely girlfriend and I have also been writing a somewhat steamy AkuZekuRoku RP that's just about as long as this. It's called "Logic Dictates," and if you have us on author alert, you'll be the first to know when I start publishing that up here too. A polyamorous relationship with personalities as different as those? It's bound to be fun.

In the future, I'll strive to update on a weekly basis, most likely on the weekend. Until I run out of stuff to post, that is (remember, I work a full-time job and my girlfriend is a more than full-time student, but we'll do our best to keep you entertained). And thanks for all the reviews and comments. They make us both smile and we do try to respond to as many as possible via PM.

* * *

><p>Sora's release was so arousing that Riku almost forgot to let go of his partner's softening arousal when the brunet had finished, which would have been remarkably painful for his friend to say the least. So he was soon handling himself as Sora released spurt after gorgeous spurt onto his own pale skin, making Riku want to enter him more than he thought he'd ever want to take someone. It was far, far too soon however, so instead he leaned over the brunet, another idea in mind.<p>

"I know you're new at this, but…" he grasped Sora's hand, wrapping it around his erection with a smirk. "I imagine you know the basics?"

Just in case the brunet who was now holding him as Riku rocked his hips back and forth was too dazed to understand what was going on, which was always possible, one of his own hands remained wrapped around Sora's. He couldn't stop looking at his friend, though. The other guy's release still visible on his body, a soft look on his face that made Riku want to lean forward and kiss him hard, and his body still lying there exposed.

"I want you," he found himself saying at one point. "You're so hot, Sora," and other things of that nature continued to leave his lips as he got closer.

He rocked faster, his freehand trailing down the clean skin of Sora's body, scratching and gripping places whenever he wanted to moan out loud. Occasionally, the pleasure was too much for him to take silently, but the growls and low moans that elicited weren't remotely as loud as the brunet's had been. Oh, just remembering that…

When Riku finally finished, he did it all while staring right into Sora's gorgeous blue eyes, half-lidded expression turning into more of a come-hither look than he would have given anyone else, except that he did that completely by accident just before his body collapsed.

He was barely holding himself up over Sora, breathing hard, when he realized that both of them had finished all over the brunet's skin. Riku felt his eyes drawn to the sight immediately, but he also knew he needed to go grab the baby wipes and a bath towel. So he stared as he moved, feeling as though his body might be ready to go again soon if he kept that gorgeous image in mind. Why did his friend have to be so hot? Seriously.

o - o

Sora honestly didn't realize it was possible to get hard again after having just come as much as he had. The moment Riku grabbed Sora's hand and wrapped it around his own erect arousal though, Sora found himself steadily growing again, until he was practically standing up straight. He hoped against hope Riku wouldn't lean back or notice, but Sora soon found himself distracted as well, as Riku began to thrust steadily into his hand.

He'd never touched another male appendage other than his own before, had never even gotten as far as this in his daydreams about Riku, actually. It was so hot, and beautiful too in a strong masculine way, that Sora soon forgot his own arousal and focused on Riku's.

At least this was something he could figure out how to do, something that would distract him from the fact that his own come was smeared in streaks across his stomach and chest. And, jeez, the things that were coming out of Riku's mouth were making him so hot again. Did he really mean them? At this point, Sora didn't care, as long as Riku kept saying them.

He wanted to talk back, ask Riku what felt good and what he wanted Sora to do. But Sora found himself incapable of speech, absolutely mortified at even the thought of saying something so dirty out loud in front of his friend. But every time Riku scratched him, Sora found himself letting out soft sounds of pleasure, of arousal yet again.

By the time Riku came, Sora was, embarrassingly, at full attention again between his legs, but he hardly cared, considering just how indescribably amazing it was to see Riku climax. His friend wasn't loud by any means, but it was beautiful the way he was looking at Sora the entire time he released. Sora's eyes traveled downward just the same, to take in the streams of Riku's pleasure as they found a place on his bare torso as well.

He'd never before been aroused by the thought of someone coming on him, but when it was Riku, Sora was willing to make an exception. The way Riku looked at him, the soft low sounds he made as he came, and even the way the liquid felt so hot and inviting against Sora's skin all made it something he would return to in memory when alone and feeling needy for Riku's presence once again.

And Sora had made his friend do that. Or, at least, he had helped, right? God, he wanted to touch Riku again, didn't want it to be over yet. Obviously, mortifyingly perhaps, his body felt similarly. As Riku moved away, it was now plain to see. For the umpteenth time that evening, Sora felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. What a horny bastard he was sometimes…christ.

Instead, he focused on his stomach, and one of the cooling ribbons of liquid Riku had just left. Entirely oblivious to the fact that Riku hadn't taken his eyes off his friend, Sora reached down curiously, sliding an index finger to scoop a little up toward his face. He eyed it for a moment, eyes wide, expression inquiring. Then, the finger slipped between his lips, and with a look of near relish, Sora got his first ever taste of his best friend.

o - o

He had the wipes and towel in his hands when he saw Sora slide a finger covered in… in Riku's… into his… mouth. After a moment of standing in his own room, naked and frozen, he realized that if he wasn't already hard again, he was about to be. Mouth hanging open slightly, he walked back to the bed almost in slow motion, his mind replaying that action over and over again as he neared the bed. Two questions reverberated in his mind: "Why did you do that, Sora," and "Is that a taste you can get used to?"

So when he got to the bed, placing the objects in his hands which he'd already forgotten about beside his friend, he leaned over and let his tongue trail over the brunets bottom lip before asking, "Did you like that, Sora? Do you want more?"

o - o

When did Riku's voice and a few simple words just get so sexy all of a sudden, Sora wondered. He'd been listening to it for years, and it never had that tone he was hearing now. Sure, Riku had always been confident, but there was something else in the way he spoke to Sora now, some added level of intensity that was entirely new to him.

And...holy shit, was Riku getting hard again too? How was this even possible after they'd both just finished? Sora wanted to protest, or ask a handful of questions, or just plain ramble, but no words came out, and when his friend began to work on his bottom lip and spoke those words, there was no doubting just how aroused it made Sora to hear. Beyond embarrassed too, as he was pretty sure by now even the tips of his ears were flushed.

He tried to press himself more fully into Riku's lips, but the combination of weakness from his latest exertions and headache, along with Riku's slight movement away, made it impossible. Instead, Sora looked between their two bodies, feeling his stomach flip over continually as he returned his gaze to Riku. Slowly, without taking his eyes off the young man in front of him, Sora nodded without a word.

o - o

Riku could not believe his eyes. Part of him wanted to verbally check Sora's nod to make sure that the brunet had meant it, and part of him was absolutely terrified to in case his friend had not meant it at all. Almost in a daze, he guided the other male into a seated position, pulling back until his own feet landed on the floor, again. However, just as he was guiding that tempting mouth forward towards his hardening cock, Sora's hands lifted as though to reach for it instead.

That wasn't exactly strange in and of itself, considering Riku would use his hands on someone else along with his mouth, but something about the action made him pause and look at the brunet. Using his friend's hair to tilt his chin up, he looked down at him.

"You get more with your mouth, Sora," he reminded his friend. Then, as though to demonstrate, he ran one of his own fingers down his friend's stomach, picking up more of his own come before pressing it between the brunet's lips. "Not with your hands."

His heart was pounding in his chest now, fear of rejection arousing itself within him, as though Sora would turn around after everything else they'd done, and shout at him about how disgusting he was. Honestly, Riku wasn't sure where this was all coming from, or how he'd managed to be so confident with the guy he'd had a crush on for what seemed like forever. It was probably that he was comfortable behaving this way… he had lots of practice. If he kept thinking about it, he'd freak out, and run out of that room. So the simple solution was… to stop thinking, and just act.

Pressing his hips towards Sora's mouth again, he teased the brunet. "Do you still want more? I have lots more where that came from…"

o - o

Sora's vision swam before his eyes again fully for the first time since they'd started going at it. For a moment, as Riku pulled him into a seated position on the bed, Sora almost fell back, saving himself only by grabbing onto the tight skin of Riku's thigh. A moment later, his hands were reaching for Riku's steadily growing erection, only to be swatted away, long, slender hands tangling in his hair as they pulled his chin up to meet Riku's gaze.

As Riku's words sunk in and his finger penetrated Sora's mouth, the younger boy's eyes widened in a mixture of wonder and shock. Riku wanted him to…with his…_oh_.

Without realizing he'd been doing with it, Sora sucked on Riku's finger, lapping the fluid with a curious tongue. It wasn't a bad flavor, although it was definitely different than the softer, more welcoming taste of the girls he'd been with in that way before. No, Riku tasted tart, a mixture of bitter and something musky but undeniably Riku. The idea of taking Riku like he'd done to Sora that fateful night of the frat party made Sora tremble a little. He'd never done this before. What if he was crappy at it? What if he didn't like doing it…could he just back out? That would be awful.

Riku wasn't entirely hard yet, but he was already leaning in toward Sora, seemingly unconcerned about whether his friend would actually do it. Maybe it was more self-assuredness on his part than a vote of confidence for his friend, but Sora tried to take it for the latter.

With a glance that spoke of fear and arousal both, Sora gazed up at Riku for a moment.

"T-tell me if it… what feels good?" The question came out through trembling lips, as this time Sora dropped his gaze to Riku's lap.

Was he just supposed to take it as is? Would that feel good for Riku? He hadn't seemed to want Sora to use his hands…and Sora couldn't yet bring himself to say the things he thought would get Riku harder more quickly, so…

Hesitantly, Sora leaned forward, Riku's scent immediately teasing his senses. He placed his lips tentatively on Riku's head, kissing softly at one side. Almost shyly his tongue flicked out, momentarily gliding over Riku's slit that was still slightly damp with his last release. The flavor was strong but not entirely unpleasant, just something it would take time for Sora to get used to, he thought. Just like with girls on the first couple tries…

It was a strange feeling to have his lips on Riku's penis, and stranger still to realize that, while they both had the same essential parts, Sora had no fucking idea whatsoever what he should be doing to make Riku feel good. Instead, he explored, kissing down to Riku's base, over his sac and up again, this time trailing with his tongue. Stopping, he looked at Riku hesitantly from his position back near the head. It took Sora a moment to realize Riku was completely hard again.

Oh. That means…time for…

Still looking up at Riku, pleading almost with his eyes not to be angry if he turned out to be terrible at this, Sora took a breath in, and then slowly began to slide as much of Riku's erection as he was able into his waiting mouth.

o - o

Whatever Riku had imagined before this moment paled in comparison to how hot Sora was while he looked up with wide, almost begging, blue eyes, and placed his mouth… Oh, god! He'd managed to keep his voice in all night, moan just a little bit here and there to let his friend know that he wasn't alone in the pleasure department, but that one just slipped out of his mouth without asking permission first. His whole body seemed to tingle when those lips touched his skin, and, god, was he ever sensitive just then.

"Mmm, Sora, just don't use your t-eeeeth, and mmm yeah."

His hand was still tangled in Sora's hair, but he wasn't using it to guide the brunet just yet, liking his friend's pacing just fine at the moment. He wanted to savor this whole first experience. The other night didn't really count anymore; not when compared with this, not even in the slightest.

"God, yes," he breathed. "Taste it… like that."

Tentative was probably good for his friend, actually. He wondered if Sora was aware of just how sensitive he was, or the fact that as long as the brunet was somewhat gentle he could pretty much do anything and it would feel good currently.

"Yeah, swallow it… like that."

His fist was tightening in the brunet's hair now, aquamarine eyes not missing a moment of this until his legs trembled hard enough to almost send him to his knees. Thankfully, instead of falling, which would have really hurt not just his knees, Riku was able to hunch forward, propping himself up on the bed and Sora's shoulders. This worked too though, because even though he could no longer see that amazingly erotic look in his friend's blue eyes, he could whisper things directly into Sora's ears now, and he planned on taking full advantage of that.

"Do you like that, Sora? Do you want more?"

o - o

No teeth: check. Tongue over slit on occasion to make Riku shudder: Can do.

But...swallow it? Swallow what? Sora felt panic rising in his chest. He couldn't do this. He was going to fuck something up so badly Riku would just laugh at him the next time they were together...if there even was a next time.

Unconsciously and with Riku still in his mouth, Sora tightened the back of his throat, swallowing more out of nerves than because he was really complying with any instructions he'd been given. That's when Riku's knees began to shake and he keened forward, hands on Sora's shoulders for balance.

The movement pressed Riku's cock further into Sora's throat and for a moment he choked, making a pathetic gagging noise he thought sounded absolutely terrible when he was trying to ...well, be sexy and make Riku...yeah.

Riku didn't let up though, and just as Sora began to relax a little into the motions, bobbing his head back and forth as he slid his mouth shyly down Riku's shaft and then back up to his already weeping head, occasionally swallowing at his deepest penetration point, his friend leaned over, hot breath against Sora's ear and started his arousing line of questions again.

Those words, coupled with Riku's musky masculine scent and taste that Sora was beginning to discover he found absolutely arousing, even if he wasn't so sure yet about the actual flavor of the come, made Sora's own cock twitch a little. He moaned a deep and thrumming note against Riku's erection, allowing it to linger down to a soft, vibrating fade.

"More," he said, but it was muffled against Riku's cock. His teeth lightly brushed against the middle of Riku's shaft, something he'd been specifically told not to do. Riku shuddered in his mouth, but it didn't seem like he was all that displeased with the feeling. Feeling experimental, Sora pressed his tongue against Riku's underside and gently - very, very gently - grazing his teeth against Riku's upper length as he moved his mouth up and off of Riku's head.

"Riku," Sora said, breathing heavily, his erection aching from lack of attention of its own. "Riku," he repeated. "You taste so..nngh." He couldn't help himself, as his hand moved automatically upward, experimentally cupping Riku's balls. Whether it was simply the throbbing headache and ensuing dizziness or that Sora was actually getting a little bolder, he couldn't say. Either way, it compelled him to slide his hand upward, rubbing his thumb against Riku's slit, just as Riku had done to him not long ago, and slicking the increasing wetness over the top of Riku's head.

Then, slowly, Sora leaned back down and let his tongue run over the same spots his thumb had just traced, determined to accustom himself with the flavor. Slowly, tongue changed to lips, then lips switched to open mouth, as Sora took his friend's head back inside his warm depths.

Yes, he guessed, the undeniable answer to his best friend's question was that he definitely, positively wanted...

"More..."

o - o

This was not the best way to start off with Sora, Riku was positive of it, but he was going to come in his friend's mouth. It was far, far too soon, but his stamina was spent. He was there.

For a moment, he tried to conjure up something a little less sexy than Sora looking up at him, Sora moaning around him, Sora touching him. He felt his stomach tighten, and knew it would be soon. And, god, was he moaning around him? Riku was going to lose it any…fucking…second…now.

"Sora, I'm nnng going to…" he whispered in his friend's ear. "Here's your taste. Take it aaaah-all."

His whole body was trembling and strange as it might seem it was not something Riku was used to. Usually, he did his bit with other guys and left with none of this hanging around afterwards to get aroused again. Sure he was fully aware that it was possible, but who cared? Before he didn't even want to be asleep in the same room as some of his other partners, and would drink so much beforehand that he probably called them by the wrong names while they were in the heat of the moment.

It had worked with Ralph, who wanted to imagine his own little group of men while with Riku, anyways. Either that or he just never managed to get Riku's name right, except a couple of times. That wasn't his fantasy, but it did make him picture Sora more clearly to have his name called instead of someone else's.

Here, there was no question who he was with, and whose name he would call if he was the screaming type. He wasn't, but maybe…

"God, Sora," he let himself moan into his friend's ear. "Sora, god yes!"

That was it. Whatever he had, he released, and Sora had plenty of warning to either take Riku's cues and commands or to move before he got warm fluids shot down his throat. Meanwhile, Riku felt his body arch, fingers tightening in Sora's hair, and a long satisfied moan leave his mouth as the tension building up in his body finally released.

Then the whole room spun, and his legs finally trembled hard enough to force him to move down as gingerly as was possible to his knees. His breathing was still heavy and his eyes still bleary, but he did notice a few things. First, and most importantly, Sora was… aroused. That was something he could take care of now without feeling guilty, and as soon as he thought he could move again… god he felt like the luckiest gay guy in existence.

o - o

For a moment, as Riku arched his back, Sora tried to prepare, only to find Riku's cock thrust further down his throat than he could handle again. With Riku's hands tangled in his hair, the only thing Sora could do was wrap his own hand around the base of Riku's erection to ensure it wasn't shoved in too deeply again, before his friend shot a stream of hot come into the back of his throat.

The first release Sora could handle, and he swallowed it quickly, noting the slight burn as it slid down his throat. The second one he was a little less prepared for, and definitely hadn't positioned Riku's cock correctly in his mouth before receiving. Riku's come shot out onto Sora's tongue instead, and the flavor immediately became too intense for the inexperienced brunet. He opened his mouth, if only for a moment, but a moment was all it needed to dribble down one side of his lips, onto his chin, and dropping off all the way down to the base of his own throbbing erection.

As Riku sank to his knees, Sora took that short amount of time to move the fluid he'd just been given around in his mouth a little. It was hot, not entirely consistent in texture, and quite bitter. It was not something he immediately liked, but in the same vein, he definitely wasn't as disgusted with it as he had initially feared either. Wiping the dribble of come off his cheek with the back of one hand, Sora swallowed, making a rather large gulping sound as he dealt with the aftertaste.

His friend's head was bowed, down at mid-chest, and Sora took Riku in with a sense of awe at what he'd just done. "Riku," he murmured, wanting to see those gorgeous aquamarine eyes on him again. When his friend was slow to look up though, Sora leaned forward instead, careful not to get his friend too dirty against his own messy chest, but reaching to hug him just the same, needing that strong steadying presence unlike any need he'd ever felt before.

o - o

Sora was… hot. That was all he could think just then as he took in his friend who was aroused, and hugging him awkwardly. That was about when Riku realized that he'd never gotten around to cleaning off the brunet's chest. Oh, that would be dry now, wouldn't it, and uncomfortable. Shit.

His mind was wandering during the strange physical contact, something he hadn't anticipated even from Sora and didn't exactly know what to do with. His hands were moving to the wipes, pulling a few free and running them gently over his friend's body before the hug even broke off, and apologizing in his own way. "God, it's probably all dry now."

When he was done, giving Sora a gentle look, he moved slightly away from the brunet to get a bottle of water, which he poured over the towel to wipe over the smooth flat chest and any other spot that might need it. Except of course the one he would be cleaning with his own tongue.

Sora wasn't exactly hard to read, but Riku wasn't sure why he was unhappy about their separation just then. Was it because the brunet was turned on, or because that hug had meant something that Riku didn't entirely understand? It could have been either or both really, but he wasn't accustomed to having someone he cared about sitting with him at this part of the interaction. So to distract both of them from that uncomfortable realization of himself, he slid one sure finger in a gentle circle around Sora's erect penis before surprising both of them with a long sensual kiss on the mouth.

Sliding away from the brunet afterward, he sank more comfortably onto his knees, and let his tongue trail from a flat bellybutton to the very base of the upright body part before glancing up and meeting his friend's eyes.

"Do you want me to…. taste," he asked, pausing to lick his lips for Sora accentuating his last word. He wasn't asking, but then again his friend's answer didn't really matter. Riku knew what the brunette wanted, and he was going to give it to him. Especially after… after…

So as Sora began to answer him, Riku's tongue began to make a slow trip up one side of the other male's tempting erection, and down the other before using his mouth and tongue all the ways he knew how to start driving the brunet to the very edge… again.

o - o

In terms of being a lover, Riku was amazing, absolutely no questions asked. His roughness was something with which Sora was almost entirely unfamiliar, but the intensity itself was admittedly hotter than hell.

But it was when his friend moved to clean him that something in Sora broke, relief washing over him. This was his friend. This was what he was longing for. This was exactly what Sora could fall so easily into the habit of wanting and needing. This was what being addicted to something felt like.

This and Riku's last kiss...

No longer bruising, no longer harsh, the kiss Riku placed on Sora's lips was something he returned wholeheartedly and just as sweetly. There was no tongue this time. No biting. And when Riku broke away, splitting into multiple figures as Sora's vision splayed before him in odd ways, the brunet felt such a strong sense of loss, his blue eyes began to water, automatically and unbidden.

But Riku was talking again, and even if it was a gentler, kinder version of what had been said before, it was still arousing, and Sora was still already aroused. He wanted it to last longer, wanted to remember it as clearly as possibly. But he was losing steam fast, both from exhaustion and the dizziness from the back of his head.

When he climaxed for the second time that night, it was with a trembling whimper instead of the passionate cries of earlier. And yet somehow it was still as satisfying.

When Riku emerged from between his legs, licking his lips, and shooting Sora a satisfied expression, Sora reached out again as he swayed slightly off-balance in place, the light in his vision fading, even when he knew it shouldn't, even when he knew it was dinnertime and that's where they should be going. "Riku," he murmured, the name soft on his small lips. "Now...will you lie here with me? Will you hold me?"

o - o

Riku was spent, so Sora had to be, as well. At least, that's what he was thinking when he moved to get up, and let his friend lie back to enjoy the afterglow while he did… something. He couldn't remember what it was he was going to get up to do though, because that's when his friend finally made a request of him. It was surprising how easily Sora could grab him somewhere inside, tugging just a little, and pull him to his knees.

Without even hesitating to think about it, Riku gathered Sora up in his arms, gently sliding up further up onto the bed, and wrapping his arms around his naked friend. After a short moment of this, he began to wonder if the brunet was starting to cool off, though. So without moving much, he reached for the blanket that he'd tossed on the floor for some unknown reason sometime between having gone to bed last night, and just this moment. Pulling it across both of their bodies, he tucked Sora's head under his chin, and pressed his friend's body as close to his own as was humanly possible without…

He hummed a contented sigh, imagining what had just happened again in his mind and daring to picture things that might just happen between them now. Why did some of them involve clothes? Riku wasn't sure he was feeling good if he was seeing clothing after having just been with the brunet like this, but maybe they could…

"Sora," he mumbled against his friend's ear. "You doing anything for dinner tomorrow night?"


	10. Chapter 10: Interim II

**Nic**: Hey again. Sorry I didn't update sooner. My girlfriend and I are both pretty busy with school, work, and whatever else it is we do that involves being away from a computer. We haven't had a whole lot of time to write new RP replies as a result.

Since I don't want to get all the way to the end of what we do have and then make you guys wait 6 months for another update or something, I'm spreading it out a little bit more. Hope that's okay.

I figured this would be a shorter chapter, since it's just an interlude with some character and story development, but nope. 6,000 words. I can't believe how much we wrote of this without even knowing it until I started compiling. And we did the same thing with an Axel/Zexion/Roxas RP story I haven't even compiled yet. Insane, guys. My girlfriend and I are apparently insane when it comes to writing. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

><p>"I still can't believe you got a concussion trying to get food out of a mini-fridge!"<p>

Kairi's shrill voice rang through the tight space of Sora's dorm room almost painfully. The brunet cringed, pulling the covers up closer to his face as his friend inched closer to him in the chair she was sitting on.

_Go away. Just, everyone, go away. I just want to sleep._

He'd gone to the school nurse this morning, had gotten the mild concussion diagnosis pretty quickly, along with a sharp look and disapproving words about how reckless college students were these days. On top of it all, he'd been relegated to his bed for at least a week leading up to Thanksgiving Break.

A week in bed meant no attending classes, no soccer practices…_no giving head to Ri_—

"Sora!"

The boy's head snapped back toward the sound, and Kairi looked immediately sympathetic, completely oblivious to the heat that was creeping up her best friend's neck.

"Sorry," she said, her voice lowering, hand moving to his matted brown hair as she smoothed it a little, in loving fashion.

"It's just you seemed to be distracted, and I wanted to try to explain what went on in most of your classes today. I even have the homework for the ones we're not in together," she said, pulling up a stack of papers out of her bag and onto her lap.

"Not distracted," he mumbled. "Head just hurts."

Not entirely true, of course. Although the thoughts were blurry, some even dream-like at this point, what Sora wanted more than anything was to be left alone so he could think about what had happened last evening with Riku again. Riku's hands, Riku's voice, oh god, Riku's _mouth_. Kairi was distracting him from that, and it totally wasn't her fault, Sora knew. She was actually trying to be helpful. But right now, he just wanted to be alone.

His words elicited a small expression of sympathy on Kairi's part. "It must hurt so much," she crooned, hand still tangled gently in Sora's hair. "At least you'll have time to rest this week and then have the holiday weekend to fully recover."

Oh yeah. Thanksgiving with their three families, with he and Riku in the same room while he thought about Riku climaxing all over his…

Sora swallowed hard at the thought.

Yeah, that was going to be a total blast and a half, he bet.

And he still hadn't had time to tell Riku what the nurse had said, had just reassured his friend that he was actually going to go to one and that was all. He was still supposed to be meeting Riku for dinner in just about two—

A knock at his door punctured Sora's thoughts, made his stomach flip over and over in his gut. A moment later, the door was opened, and beautiful but cold aqua eyes stared back from beneath perfectly styled silvery white hair.

Unable to stifle his expression of absolute awe and adoration, Sora sank further beneath his covers, hoping against hope that Kairi wouldn't say something stupid. Or embarrassing. It'd also be nice if she'd stop playing with his hair like he was five, but hey, maybe that was too much to hope for at this point.

o - o

He took a long, deep breath before opening the door, having heard a female voice chirping on the other side and knowing full well who it belonged to. Growling slightly under his breath, he knocked but didn't wait for an answer to pull the door out of his way. Riku knew it was illogical to actually be worried. After all, that pain in the ass standing at Sora's bedside with her fingers tangled in the brunette's unruly hair would have made a point of informing him if something had happened to his friend, particularly if she gathered the information before Riku could.

Still, he endured the strange squirming in his stomach as he looked at a bedridden Sora from the doorway.

"You know, Kairi," he said dryly, not even bothering to waste sarcasm on this bitch. "It's not exactly intelligent to play with the head of someone who has a head injury."

Well, he wasn't entirely sure if that was the case, no. However, when he had to half-carry a dizzy, almost drunk seeming, Sora to the nurse that morning, he couldn't think of any other reason for it. The brunette had hit his head pretty hard the night before, the idiot. Riku had asked him if he was alright, and his friend had distracted him! Still…

It was gratifying to see Kairi snap her arm back, away from Sora, and apologize. Gratifying, but he wanted the bitch gone so he could talk to his friend about what was going on between them. How to do it without making her dig her heels in like she always seemed to.

He held up an armful of books as method number one. "Hey, I brought your homework assignments from the classes we have together. I have to explain one of them to you. Kairi probably doesn't wanna sit through that…"

He wasn't very good at subtlety when it came to things or people that bugged him, it was true, but maybe she'd take a hint. Maybe even Sora would catch on and get rid of her… god, why was she even here, right now?

o - o

Or…that was one way to get Kairi's hand's away from his head.

Sora looked between Riku and Kairi but for the time being kept his mouth shut, not really sure what to say.

He could feel the tension, practically see it between his two friends, but Sora didn't have the slightest clue why. Kairi couldn't possibly know about what Riku and he had done…right? Riku wouldn't have said anything, he hoped. And he sure as heck hadn't. And even though Kairi was still pushing the issue, Sora was almost entirely certain he'd set the record straight with Kairi in terms of where they stood with their relationship. What part of "I can't date you because I feel like it's going to ruin our friendship" did she not get? It wasn't like any of their more intimate moments had been anything less than awkward anyway. Yet still, Kairi persisted, talking of future plans, of double dates. Sora was really at a loss.

Kairi stood, arms crossed. "He hurt the _back_ of his head. A concussion. God, Riku. It's not like _you_ would know anyway since you just got here."

Oh…oh geez. Sora felt his heart drop into his chest at the comment. Why the crap was Kairi being so confrontational all of a sudden? Riku's words hadn't been exactly nice, per se, but that was just Riku, sarcastic as ever. It was Kairi who was acting completely out of character.

But Kairi wasn't through.

"And it's sweet of you to get his homework, but I already made sure to get it in all of his classes. Even the ones I'm not in." She smiled sweetly, but even Sora knew it was a show this time around.

If a hole could just open up and swallow him right now, that'd be swell, actually…

"Kairi," he said, reaching out a tentative hand to grasp her arm. Her attention turned away from Riku, which was just what Sora had hoped would happen. "Thank you. Seriously, thank you for getting me all that homework. It was really nice of you, and I know you're super busy too…"

Kairi beamed, shooting a quick, smug look Riku's way.

_Jesus Christ, shoot me now. Someone, please._

But Sora wasn't through this time. "Riku's here because I thought I'd be able to meet him for dinner and didn't have a chance to tell him I just need to rest."

Sora found he couldn't look at Riku through this whole spiel, for fear his friend might be giving him a nasty look too. He wouldn't be able to bear that if so.

"And I can use all the help I can get in my classes, so it's awesome you both brought me notes. But right now, I need to rest," he said and, sitting up, he winced a little. "Maybe take a shower too since I feel gross."

Kairi was quick to nod sympathetically. "We should both leave then," she said, her voice firm. Once more, she brushed a gentle hand over Sora's brow. "The more rest you get, the sooner you'll be feeling better again," she said in a song-song tone.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "I just need to talk to Riku about Thanksgiving crap since we're going home a day earlier than you tomorrow." Kairi looked like she was about to protest, but Sora forged on, determined not to let her. "Once I get that sorted out, I'll rest. Lots. And then we'll have our typically kick-ass bento Thanksgiving or whatever our parents decide to do, and by the time break's over, I'll be good as new."

Kairi didn't look convinced, so Sora gave her an encouraging smile, as if to say "honestly, I'll be fine, promise." Another pause, and then a slight nod on her part. "Okay," she said, before turning to Riku, "but don't stress him out too much with homework. I've heard people with concussions have problems remembering things, so it's better if he just rests until break."

She glanced back his way. "Feel better, Sora," she said, blowing him a little kiss in the process.

Then, without another word, Kairi picked up her bag and headed out the door, closing it quietly behind her, and leaving the two boys to stare at once another from across the room for a moment before Sora came to his senses.

"Sorry about that," he groaned as he lowered himself back into bed. "I don't know why she's acting so uptight lately. I mean, it's not like I'm dying or anything, you know?"

o - o

"That's not uptight," Riku smirked. "It's possessive."

He'd damn near set the bitch straight on a few things when she turned to snap at him as though Riku hadn't been the one who dragged Sora to the nurse's office that morning, and as though he hadn't specifically shown up to some classes he hadn't even needed to wake up for for weeks to take notes for his… friend. The brunette didn't seem able to tell her off, though.

Watching the soft, kind explanation from his friend had been something interesting for him to watch, actually. Riku remembered when Kairi and Sora had first started dating, and how everyone around them knew within hours that it was officially that kind of relationship. He found himself wondering if anyone would ever find out about what had just begun between him and the blue eyed guy across the room from him.

It probably couldn't, he knew. After all, that was a thing straight couples did, announcing their relationship as a possible precursor to an engagement announcement. His parents often said that there was no reason for gays to get married; they couldn't have children and pretty much did nothing as a married couple except leech off of the government and other working people. Hearing that on a regular basis, not to mention listening to them harp on how disgusting the gay lifestyle was, had given Riku no illusions that he would ever be able to live a happy, married life with someone he loved. When it came to that, he was under the impression that he couldn't love the way that straight couples could, either. That was set aside for them, right?

No, what he felt for Sora couldn't possibly be anything but lust, he was sure. That was all gay men felt when it came to that, wasn't it? It felt… strong, but what did he know? He was only a college student. His parents had been married for years; they knew what they were talking about.

He felt his feet carry him forward, and before he knew it he was leaning over Sora, setting the books on the table beside his friend's bed on top of the pile the bitch had left. "So," he purred, brushing brunette hair out of Sora's eyes. "What kind of rest do you need? The kind where you just lean back and let everyone else do the work, or the boring kind where you just rest?"

Riku let his lips brush very lightly over Sora's lips, but as he was still feeling guilty over what happened the previous night, he actually waited for the brunette's answer before doing anything further. Not that he understood it was guilt he was feeling, he just… wanted to make sure; that was all.

o - o

"Yeah, well, we've definitely broken up, so I don't get why she'd still be acting like that," Sora said, his voice plaintive, even a little frustrated.

It was a totally shitty situation. There was no denying that. And it was Sora's own fault for getting himself into it by agreeing to date her in the first place. His parents had just been so, so excited when they'd found out he and Kairi were…

_Oh shit. _

If Sora's face hadn't already looked pale and sickly thanks to his damn klutzy idiocy, he was pretty sure all of the color would've drained completely out of it.

He hadn't told his parents he'd broken up with Kairi. Considering how she was acting lately, Sora doubted Kairi had said anything either. Shit, shit, shit. They were going to go home assuming two of their three kids were still dating and be totally…well, not that far off, actually, but just not the pairing they'd assumed.

But was he dating Riku? Sora wasn't sure. With Kairi it'd been easy since they'd just both agreed, even if it had been unspoken. But when you kissed your best guy friend, did that make you a couple? Could gays even make up a couple? Or a gay and a…bisexual? Sora had absolutely no idea since he was completely unfamiliar with the concept. Come to think, had he ever seen Riku introduce a boyfriend to anyone? Sora came up empty.

The moment Riku's lips brushed against his though, all coherent thought left his mind. They were so soft, so gentle, and he just wanted to pull Riku to him into an intimate embrace.

For whatever reason, Sora found his movements frozen though, fearful of rejection yet again. Why wasn't this as easy as with girls, he wondered not for the first time. Tentatively, Sora returned Riku's kiss, but it was short-lived, for his friend soon began to talk, asking him…

Was that a hint that he wanted to…?

Of course, _now_ his face was gaining some color, and that color was red.

"I…I think the actual rest kind," he stuttered. "But if you want to stay, that'd be awesome," he rushed on, indicating the chair Kairi had just vacated…then, shyly, a spot on his bed near Sora's waist.

As Riku chose a seat, Sora fidgeted a little, wincing whenever he jerked his head in just the wrong way.

"Um…Riku?" Sora paused, unsure how to form the words for what he needed to say.

"I was just wondering…I mean, I wasn't sure if you'd still want…after last night?" His voice was almost shaking as he tried to get out the words. "I guess I just wanted to know…are we, like, dating now?"

o - o

When given a choice between places to sit, he hesitated a moment, unsure which Sora wanted him to choose. However, glancing at the chair once he recalled that Sora said that Kairi had been sitting there before he had come in, made his decision for him. So sitting gently next to his friend on the bed, Riku leaned back, putting his hands behind his head as he listened to the brunette continue on.

The tentative voice his friend continued on in made him nervous, but then those words came out of Sora's mouth. Those words made Riku shudder. He wasn't sure what the brunette wanted here. Did that sound like hope or dread?

Maybe his friend wanted for them to be dating now, but what if Sora was afraid the answer might be 'yes'? "After last night…" he wanted to ask what the brunette meant by that, but he stopped himself. "I didn't know we could," but he shut himself up there.

This was not a situation he ever expected to be in, and he was extremely confused. What was he supposed to say here? Eventually, he just turned around to look at his friend, meeting those blue eyes with a guarded look of his own.

"Do you want to be?"

o - o

"I…" Sora stopped at that. Riku's voice and actions were so nonchalant. Wasn't he nervous? Didn't this matter? Sora felt like an absolute ball of nerves, at least. He was practically shaking with pent up energy right here, right now.

"Me neither," he admitted, "knowing whether, uh, two guys can do…that."

The idea of being Riku's like he'd been Kairi's or any of his other past girlfriends' sent a thrill through Sora's lean body. Would they be able to walk out in public holding hands, or even giving each other kisses? Well, probably not at St. Merritt. Or anywhere within a 5000 mile radius of their families or Kairi. But still. Was it possible? Just maybe?

He wanted so badly to reach out, to touch Riku, or at least hold his hand. But Sora didn't know what to do in a situation like this, or even what his friend would allow.

"You know more about this kind of stuff than I do," he said, trying to start again.

It was true. Riku had known about his attractions for years and years by now. Sora hadn't even realized that what he'd been thinking about _was_ an attraction to Riku until just recently.

"But yeah," he said breathlessly, almost in a whisper. "I definitely want to be…a couple or…whatever it is we can be…if you want to too, I mean…"

o - o

If Riku were being honest with himself, he kind of wanted to smack his friend for making the assumption that he knew all these things about being gay when they both knew that he had grown up in one of the most ignorant and bigoted areas of the country where he couldn't even admit to the guys he fucked that he was gay until they were in bed together for fear of being in a situation he didn't want to be in. He tried not to let his frustration show on his face, but he had to sit up, to move, so that he could shake it a little.

"I- I don't know what we can be," he finally admitted. "If you want a boyfriend… or to date? Well, I've heard some guys do that. I mean, we wouldn't exactly be able to tell our parents, or anything."

He was pretty sure that they both knew that was the case, and that this wouldn't be news to Sora. They would be heading home soon, both together to families that were so close that it was usually pretty fucking annoying, and they would have to keep this new thing a secret. That was about the last thing that Riku wanted to do, but then again he'd long since given up any hope of doing things that he wanted to do while around his own family. The expectations were too high for their child's desires to be taken into account; perfection did not lend itself to wants.

"Would you want to date someone you had to keep secret," he asked, not even aware before he spoke that question that he felt a little like his life might depend on its answer. Why did he care so damn much? He was gay. He could never have what Kairi and Sora had had, no matter how badly he wanted to… but that didn't stop Riku from hoping if only a little.

o - o

Don't go…don't move away, Sora thought pleadingly. But his friend couldn't read minds any more than he could, and Sora watched as Riku began to pace. With that frustrated, feral expression on his face, he almost looked like a wildcat, caught in a trap he couldn't get out of.

And no, they definitely couldn't tell their parents. Not unless they both wanted to be sent away to some sort of reparative therapy camp or something. Riku's parents were even more religious than Sora's. To say they'd flip a shit to know their son was gay was putting it so mildly it might've been an outright lie.

But still, he wanted…something. He wanted a repeat of last night, plus something more that he just didn't quite understand. Sora got that relationships were made up of more than sex. He'd experienced them at least marginally before with girls. But with Riku? He wasn't sure of anything. All he knew was he didn't want whatever it was they were doing to end.

"I dunno," Sora said, his voice still hushed as he considered his options. "It's been going pretty well so far, right?" He tried to give his friend a genuine smile. At least, he'd thought it was pretty damn nice. "I mean, except for the being drunk and half passed out concussion things, obviously."

o - o

It's going pretty well so far? Riku would beg to differ. Not only had they only messed around twice, well okay, that was going pretty well, yeah. But every time Sora had been with him, the brunette had been out of sorts. Once he'd been so drunk that he'd actually kissed Riku, and the second time apparently he'd had a concussion. That wasn't what he would call 'going well.'

Would Sora really still want to be with him while he was sober and mentally uninjured?

"Yeah," Riku added, scratching the back of his head. "How are you feeling, right now? Like, how's your head?"

He wasn't sure why he asked. Actually, come to think of it, he'd asked the same thing the previous night and gotten no answer. If Sora dodged this time, he's smack him, and ask again. It was terribly frustrating to have someone around who wasn't as blatantly frank and forward as he was because it made the fact that he wasn't very aware of anything outside of his own body terribly obvious.

Surprisingly, he did manage to hold back that he was wondering whether or not Sora was fit to be having this conversation when he had a head injury, but just barely.

o - o

Sora furrowed his brow a little. Why was Riku side-stepping the actual topic he'd brought up?

"My head's fine," he said.

The look Riku shot him was anything but believing.

"No, seriously," Sora tried again. "It really only bugs me when I stand. Or move around a lot or stuff, which I guess is why they told me I gotta rest…"

His friend still didn't look convinced, and it was starting to make Sora antsy to watch him pace so precisely.

"Riku, c'mon, sit down," Sora said, his voice pleading. "You're making me nervous with all that back and forth stuff. It'll be okay, I'm sure."

Here, Sora hesitated, unsure if he should continue. His friend looked in turns pissed off and really anxious beneath his usually stoic features. His body language was undeniably saying it all though.

"You-you have had a boyfriend before, right," he asked tentatively.

_Because I really want to be yours now…_

o - o

Unthinkingly, Riku obeyed Sora's request, just barely remembering to sit down on the bed gently before throwing himself down in a huff. He had heard the brunette's question, but he remained silent for a moment not sure how to answer it.

"If I said 'no,'" he answered slowly, "would you still want to be my boyfriend?"

He felt strangely defeated, as though he'd failed a surprise test that he should have known to study for. What if Sora didn't want to stay with a slutty gay guy who'd only had one-night-stands, and fuck-buddies before? It wasn't as though he'd ever thought he had a shot in hell with his ultimate crush, but to mess up any opportunity because of all of the pining that had resulted from that assumption would be unbearable.

"I just haven't met anyone that I, you know," he continued on quietly, not even sure what he was saying, but wanting to justify his past somehow. "No one that I wanted to be with like that. I didn't think I could. Just… you…" But here he hesitated, pursing his lips as he looked at Sora. _It was always you_, sounded stupid, whether or not it was true. _I always wanted you._ No way in hell was he going to say that.

o - o

"Why would it matter? It's not like I've dated, like, tons of girls or anything either."

Well, maybe that wasn't the best way to put things, but Sora really wasn't connecting the dots between not ever dating before and having had a bunch of one-night stands. The concept was just so foreign to him, he didn't have a clue how to get from point A to point B, quite honestly.

Relieved his friend was back nearby though, Sora sighed, hands reaching out to stroke Riku's splayed hair that had made its way into his lap.

"It's okay, I think," he said, his voice thoughtful, considering the idea. He still couldn't get the image of he and Riku walking around in public holding hands. The idea just…tingled, made him feel more light-headed than even his concussion had last night. Me and Riku. Sora and Riku. What would that come out to in celebrity couples names? Raku? Kura? Rikora? Oh man.

Sora bit his lip to keep from giggling out loud. Somehow he figured that wouldn't be much help in their current situation, or that Riku might even punch him or something.

"Yeah," he said more definitively. "I think it'll be okay. We'll figure this out together, except…" he hesitated a second, "…I think you'll have a lot more to teach me than, you know, the other way around."

o - o

In what sort of fucked up world was Riku the one that needed comforting from Sora? He was the tough one between them, always had been. It had been awkward but whenever the brunette was having a bad day and Kairi wasn't around, he would call on Riku and Riku, like an idiot, would come running. That happened less and less the older they got, but that didn't change the fact that that was how Riku had come to view their relationship. He'd never seen Sora as weak or anything, but he felt weak depending on his friend the other way around like this.

Still, despite the brunette's words of comfort and apparently of wanting, he wasn't sure. Sora had yet to be with him sober and uninjured. What if the ideas that were in his concussed head disappeared the first time they were together without injuries present? Maybe his friend hadn't been disgusted with him yet because he'd been too out of it to notice that he might have been. What if all of this really was too good to be true…?

But Sora had said they would figure this out 'together.' Those had been his friend's exact words. And he wanted Riku to teach him…? He couldn't help it; he hoped.

"I can teach you," he said, sounding more confident than he felt, "but you have to recover first." He leaned back next to Sora on the bed, looking down into his friend's clear blue eyes, and ignoring temptation for once. If Sora was going to be with him, it was probably better to get the recovery over with quickly. Otherwise… well, he would always be wondering, wouldn't he?

"And, you know," he went on, "that horrible visit with our families is coming up, too. Gotta get past that in one piece, without letting anything… slip."

He felt himself wink at Sora here, though it must have been more out of habit than anything because he truly did feel pretty terrified to go home with Sora with everything hanging the way it was. What if… Kairi… or his father… ? He didn't want to think about it, but he was worried.

o - o

"Yeah…that's gonna take a bit of time, the nurse said." Sora made a face at the thought. No getting to try…anything…with Riku for awhile, it seemed. With his younger sister running around and their families likely grilling them for four days straight, he highly doubted there'd be much time to be left alone.

"And screw that visit, seriously. All they're gonna do is complain that our As should be A-pluses and about how we haven't found wives yet and stuff," Sora whined a bit overdramatically. "They could totally do that via email just as easily."

The way his friend was leaning over him, eyeing him with that same uninterpretable expression, made Sora want to do…_something_. He just didn't know what. Or how. Or even why his friend made him feel that way. Was this what he always felt when Riku had made him feel shy or nervous in the past? Sora really didn't know. He'd always just assumed he was straight and pushed any conflicting images aside.

"So…" he started again, tilting his head a little to the side as he looked at Riku full-on, smile implying he was only being half-serious at the moment. "If I wanted to say your eyes were pretty or…something. Uh, is there a more…er, manly way to say it, maybe?"

o - o

He might not have been as whiny as Sora about going home to deal with their families, but Riku was on the same page there. Why did they really need to go home to do all of that talking? Well, he knew why, really. It was so that they couldn't ignore the shit their parents were trying to shove at them. Then again, they really shouldn't be ignoring it, right? Their elders possessed knowledge that they didn't have, yet.

Shaking his head, he returned his full attention to the brunette just in time to hear the last few words his friend had spoken. Riku couldn't help that when those words were said suddenly his whole body felt warm in a strange way.

He knew full well what it felt like to be aroused, of course, but this wasn't it. Riku just looked at Sora for a moment, not sure how to answer, and fought down the panicked feeling in his chest that was trying to force him out the door. Why would he want to run at a moment like this? It didn't make sense… but he kind of did. Shaking his head softly in reply, he opened his mouth even though he still wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that.

"Pretty is for women," he said, though he loved that Sora thought that about his eyes… if he did. "I… don't know, though. No one's ever said anything nice like that about my eyes."

It was dry and matter-of-fact, but the point remained all the same. The only compliments Riku was used to hearing had more to do with his cock and his performance, and he usually received them from guys who he imagined were Sora while he nailed them from beh-uh… Nope, never heard anyone compliment him above the neck before, unless being called hot counted.

He finally met Sora's eyes though, staring down at his friend for a long moment, trying to figure him out. There was definitely something strange about this brunette that he'd never been clued into. How could this guy do these things to him when he'd resisted every other male influence in his life up till now?

"You can still call them pretty though, if that's what you think of them," he said, leaning closer to Sora, his usual smirk sliding into place on his mouth.

o - o

So, maybe the kiss had been a bad idea. At this point, Sora didn't care though. He knew it couldn't go far. Not with his current light-headedness, at any rate.

Yet he still wanted to kiss Riku so badly. And not that rough, bruising type of kiss from the night before. He wanted kisses he was familiar with, that he knew he was decent at.

So there, in his bedroom, a concussed Sora began to kiss Riku lightly against the lips, tasting and caressing and hoping against hope Riku didn't take offense at being kissed like a girl or something.

"Pretty then," he murmured. "Your eyes are pretty."

Another kiss, light and close-mouthed followed. This wasn't about trying to be sexy for Sora. It was simply affection.

"And that smirk," he continued, his lips vibrating gently against Riku's. "Mm, Riku. Your looks always kill me, you know?"

When he next pulled away, Sora let out a dazed little laugh, head falling gently back against the pillow.

"Pretty sure I'm never gonna recover at this rate," he admitted foxily.

And quite honestly, if this is what came of it, Sora wasn't sure he wanted to.

o - o

Riku was mesmerized. No one had ever treated him like this before… this gentle affection, he didn't know what to do with it. His mouth reacted for the first kiss, but his mind was still frozen. It was as though he was sitting there doing nothing even though his lips were moving against the brunette's. Did people kiss like this often? What did it mean?

He wasn't used to compliments, and light caresses. Riku honestly didn't know what to do with them, his hands flexing uselessly at his sides. Maybe this was just how Sora was when he liked someone? Did people get a certain way around people they liked? Was he really thinking now that his friend might actually like him? Yeah, shit he was.

There was something of a feeling of loss when the brunette's head fell back down to the bed, and Riku found himself following after his friend's mouth, smirk vanishing as he watched Sora talk in a bit of a daze.

"Mmm… I think I specifically recall an order from a particularly angry … girl to leave quickly so that you could rest," he teased as he positioned himself next to Sora on his friend's bed, and leaned close to whisper in the brunette's ear. "I think I can ignore her orders though."

He could be gentle, too. At least, Riku thought he could as he took Sora's face in his hands, and tried that soft kissing his friend had done to him a few moments ago. He could stop before things got too out of hand, but in the meantime there was no real harm in practicing, right? Not that he had any idea whether or not gentle was succeeding, but Sora would clue him in, he assumed.

After all, didn't boyfriends treat their men gently when they were injured? Riku didn't know for sure as he'd never had or been one of those, but he was surprisingly excited to find out.

"You know, your eyes… your face… they've always had a similar effect on me too, Sora," he admitted before silencing any replies his friend might have had with another attempt at this gentle kissing, and trying very hard not to snicker at the reaction he was getting.


	11. Chapter 11: Thanksgiving is so

**A/N**: Hiya. Just in case anyone missed the explanation on the profile page, I'm going to explain it here. Future author notes won't be this long, I solemnly swear.

So, awkward explanation is awkward. I (Nic) went through a breakup about three years ago with the partner who I was writing these stories with. For approximately the same amount of time, I've had next to zero interest in Kingdom Hearts anything. And writing, something that's always been a genuine passion of mine, became a pursuit I started actively avoiding...like, to the extent that I had to back out of a publishing contract for one of my original fiction novels because in the wake of other major life events I was experiencing, I just couldn't bring myself to emotionally handle the intense level of constructive feedback my editor was sending me by the bucketload. I don't know if it was bad memories, lack of time, or a mixture of life pretty much repeatedly roundhouse kicking my ass (I went through some pretty serious life changes over the course of that first year, including losing my full-time job and coming to terms with the realization that it wasn't just the characters I wrote fanfic for who happened to be gay). At any rate, productive writing time wasn't happening for most of 2012 and well into 2013, despite my best efforts.

Anyway, I'm in a better place, in a relationship with a great guy for over a year now, and loving my current job (maybe not surprising, but I'm an editor who sometimes also writes, but mostly just manages two dozen other writers). Not quite as big of a deal as a full-length novel publishing contract, but I've also been chosen to write a piece for an anthology on LGBT experiences on the internet, which is estimated to be published in Spring 2016. So, things are finally settling down and I'm beginning to find myself in a place where I'm able to write again. It was only recently that a friend read some of the fics from my personal account (I think it was Bereaved, specifically, the events of which are cross-referenced in an earlier chapter of this story, actually) and encouraged me to finish them up. I decided to do her one better and start posting chapter updates again for Truth or Dare (as well as get started compiling and posting a ZekuAkuRoku story, which, admittedly, I think is the stronger of these two stories).

In the interest of full disclosure, neither of these stories ever got completed and, at the present time I don't think it's realistic to assume they ever will be. That said, these stories end up hitting somewhere in the range of 180K words in their totality, so there's plenty still to read. I also had fun rereading them and I hope you will too. Since so much time has passed, I'm really unsure if anyone's still interested in reading them, and I may gauge how quickly I update these based on user responses (formatting's kind of a pain). No point in updating if no one's reading, right? So if you like it and want to read more, please do review/comment/encourage/chat me up.

Alright! That's it. Time to STFU and figure out how to divide up the remaining 55Kish words of this sucker into digestible chapters. I hope the last three years have been as enlightening for you as they have been for me.

Cheers,

Nic

* * *

><p>Was Sora doing this on purpose? Why did he have to wear those pants and <em>that<em> shirt during a night that Riku had to pretend that he was a normal, heterosexual guy around his parents? Surely his friend wasn't that oblivious. He focused on the plates, the napkins, the fork that was just a little bit out of place, all while trying to ignore that his friend had just leaned over the table in front of him to reach for something. He almost groaned in frustration.

Riku wanted to reach out and touch Sora, pull their hips together, and grind. He wanted to feel the skin of the brunette's neck between his teeth, and taste the salt of sweaty skin as he ripped that tight, almost revealing shirt off of his friend's slender body. He… needed to think about something else before he gave himself away with their parents in the next room.

Sighing, he moved his gaze to the horrible wallpaper, trying to force himself to imagine Sora's mother directing their placement. That helped a little, since she was… well, a woman, and that just wasn't hot to him no matter what their friends were constantly saying about her being a milf or something. Gross.

Without looking at Sora, he groaned a little. "God, we could be getting drunk right now, and throwing up pizza later. I think being steamrolled by sumo wrestlers would be more fun than whatever torture they're about to put us through." At this he finally looked up at Sora, making a point to only look at his friend's face, and ignoring the urge to see what the front of those pants looked like on his slender body. What would they look like if he started teasing the brunette right now? What if he just… _no; stop now_!

o - o

Thanksgiving at Sora's home was always a weird and excessive blend of Japanese and American culture, from the professionally cooked turkey to the intricate designs on each bento offering. While his father generally wore a basic suit, Sora's mother preferred her Japanese attire for the evening. Riku's family usually followed his mother's lead.

There wasn't a whole lot of preparing to be done, honestly. Along with their usual household staff, Sora's parents had hired a cadre of others, to help with the food, to set the table, everything. It was just that his mother never trusted the staff to do anything correctly, which was why he and Riku had been ordered into the dining area to make sure everything looked pristine.

His friend obviously wasn't enjoying this.

Reaching across the table to straighten a cloth napkin just slightly, Sora listened to his friend's complaint and laughed a little under his breath at the sentiment.

"You think throwing up pizza is fun," he asked teasingly. "I guess I didn't get that memo."

From the other room, he could hear his mother's frustrated orders being thrown the staff's way. It wouldn't be long before the rest of Riku's family, as well as all of Kairi's, showed up for the evening cocktails. They'd be expected to stand around making polite conversation like that wasn't what they did every day at school and wait for the meal to be served, as usual.

Standing up straight as he pushed away from the place settings, Sora was careful to smooth down his pants and shirt. The last thing he needed was a lecture on looking presentable from his mother. Or Riku's.

"Hey," he said, trying to catch Riku's gaze. "At least we look good tonight though, right?" His grin was a genuine attempt to make Riku feel better. Inching his way closer to his friend so his next words wouldn't be overheard, Sora took in his friend's smart appearance in an appreciative manner. "You especially…"

o - o

Riku groaned low in his throat, reaching out to pull the brunette closer to him, and gripping his friend's hips almost as though for dear life, using every ounce of self-control he had not to grind up against the slender body he held pinned in his grip. One quick glance around the room, and he pressed a hard but quick kiss to the brunette's lips before pushing the shorter guy a step away from him and letting go.

"Well," he replied, breath a little heavier than normal. "I don't know about your hair, but other than that…"

He let his eyes trail appreciatively over his friend's frame before letting a slow smirk slide up one corner of his mouth, indicating approximately what he thought of everything but 'that.' Sora was hot, and Riku would happily show him exactly how hot… if not for the existence of their fucking parents in the next room.

Almost as if on cue, his mother's voice drifted into the room as she commented on something regarding the decorations. Riku almost groaned again. She was going to harass him about grandchildren and getting married again and probably in that order. Just no… could he jump off a figurative bridge right now instead? Big, helpless looking aquamarine eyes found blue ones a second before closing tightly, and gritting his teeth together. The idea of doing anything with any woman that would result in grandchildren made him want to vomit everything he'd ever eaten. It was too bad he couldn't create babies with other guys instead since that would at least be enjoyable for him.

Of course, the idea of other guys led to thoughts about the other guy in the room with him, and those tight pants on the floor and his hands… and his mouth… and Riku had to turn around again. "Maybe if we both sneak out the bathroom window, no one will notice," he muttered miserably.

o - o

He hadn't expected Riku to grab him. Surprised, Sora let out a small, undignified squeak. "What are you do—"

But Riku's mouth was on his before he could say anything else, passionate and bruising, if only for a moment. Then he was shoved away a little, and Sora was left to stare back, his mouth cracked open in a mixture of shock and utter bewilderment. His mom was in the next room. From the sound of it, so was Riku's now.

_Holy gawd, I'm going to hell but at least Riku'll be right there with me._

He wanted more. He wanted at the very least to give his friend a fierce hug and return his kiss. But Sora didn't dare. Maybe that made him a wuss, but the idea of being caught by either set of parents was enough of a foreboding image that he didn't even consider moving a step closer to Riku.

So when Riku commented on his own attire, Sora did what he did best: act a bit of a goof.

"Hey now," he said, mock hurt coloring his tone. "This is some quality hair gel I used to keep it all down and slicked back. You should be impressed. My dad's Benz is super jealous."

He shot Riku a silly look, but it was pretty much the truth. His mom hate, hate, hated how unruly his hair got. That was his father's fault, she'd always complained. Asian hair was lovely and smooth and acceptable (like Riku's, although Sora doubted his mom would approve of it being so long). Sora's hair was…well, just about the opposite actually. It also helped that he'd managed to avoid telling her that he actually used a bit of product to keep it nice and spiky-disheveled at school. Girls seemed to like it. Maybe Riku did too…

Riku groaned, and Sora turned his attention back to his friend. "Bathroom window, huh? Yeah, unlikely," he grinned, sticking his tongue out a bit for a second. "Why, you wanna elope or something?"

o - o

Eloping sounded like a fantastic idea actually, but when he opened his mouth to say so in the most serious tone he'd ever adopted around Sora his mother walked in. "You two finished checking on the place settings, yet," she asked in a severe tone of voice.

He let his hair fall over both of his eyes, glancing down before meeting her icy gaze. "Looks alright to me," he offered.

"Good, you can both rejoin us in the living room, then. Everyone's waiting on you."

With that the woman turned to go, leaving Riku to follow after her dragging his feet as though an executioner awaited him in the next room. Could the floor please open up and swallow him now? He glanced at Sora quickly, but dropped his gaze to the floor almost immediately remembering the kiss and wanting to lose himself in another just then. How did other gay guys deal with their families and all of these expectations? It reminded him of a dark time in high school where he had almost swallowed a handful of aspirins with vodka one night…

That was behind him, though. Riku was well aware that he had something to live for now, and even more than before he had Sora… didn't he? That question was enough to keep him going, even in situations like this. Grimacing at the brunette, he entered the other room feeling the sounds of their parent's voices hit him with an almost physical force.

Maybe they could get away with staying at the other's houses during this entire trip, and squeeze some time together in there somewhere. Surely it was still acceptable to have those kinds of 'sleep-overs,' right? It wasn't as though any girls would be present… at least, not there anyways.

He slid closer to Sora to share the idea with his friend, but that was when his father addressed him with an inquiry about grades and school. So, hiding the sigh that slid its way up his throat, Riku turned to answer, trying at the same time to make a mental note to ask Sora later about possibly getting their parents to let them have a sleepover like old times… well, not _exactly_ like old times.

o - o

Japanese sounded like such a harsh language to Sora, but that's what his friend's parents preferred to address him in most times that Sora's own white father wasn't part of the conversation. Sora knew a little bit of Japanese himself, learned by simply listening and responding to his own mother growing up. His younger sister Mai was about the same. Riku was fluent though, as far as Sora could tell, and listening to him reply to his father now was…kind of sexy, actually?

Since when, he wondered, but didn't have time to ponder the thought much. At that moment, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and turned almost right into Kairi.

Wearing the same traditional Japanese attire that all the women present were clothed in, she regarded Sora with wide, interested eyes.

"Hi, Kairi," Sora said. "You look really nice tonight." It was true, and Sora's honesty was genuine. It usually always was around his closest friends.

Kairi beamed at the compliment. "Thank you." Then her expression turned more concerned.

"Are you sure it's alright for you to be standing up after your concussion? Didn't the school nurse say to be lying or sitting down most of the time?"

Sora grinned at her a little to break the tension of her worry. "Yeah, maybe," he said, "but you know my parents. If it's not bleeding, don't worry about it."

She didn't look convinced, so Sora threw in a "Really, I feel fine," for good measure, which seemed to help a little.

"Anyway though, looks like Riku needs an intervention," he whispered, nodding in his other friend's direction. When Kairi didn't initially respond, he urged her forward. "C'mon, drink time."

They inched forward cautiously and, when it seemed like there was a lull in the conversation between Riku and his father, Sora stepped in and pulled him aside. "Drinks," he said in Japanese. "I'm thirsty." By his side, Kairi listened, but Sora couldn't be sure she'd understood. Her parents were second generation immigrants, and English was her first language entirely. So much for passing culture down from parent to child.

They made their way to the wet bar, Riku and Kairi on either side of him. Ordering a Coke from the hired help for the evening, Sora sipped it tamely. In the background, he caught a few adult conversations. Many of them were about…geez…him and Kairi and how cute they looked together.

It was right about this time in the evening when Sora noted how much more smoothly the night would be going if he could just sneak some rum into his soda. Maybe Riku had been right about getting drunk after all…

o - o

Sora's intervention had been just in time, but Kairi's appearance had not made him happy; neither had the conversation that followed her and his friend around. No, Sora was _his_ boyfriend, damnit! Shut the fuck up! Of course, he couldn't actually say that, which made this all the more frustrating.

Not that he should feel frustrated about it. Wasn't it something that Riku should be ashamed of? If any of their parents had anything to say on the matter, it was. Sometimes he didn't feel so sure about that, and sometimes he was absolutely certain of it. How could he draw the line? How could Riku know for sure what was or should be acceptable when he defied every law and rule his parents had laid down when he was younger? Was this like all of the other rules they weren't supposed to break? Like the drinking, the drug use, the push to lose their virginities but keep it quiet… where were they supposed to draw the line?

The night was excruciating. Sitting through dinner, through their parents' lectures, and through the slightly tipsy bitching that each set of parental units pushed onto them before finally releasing them to get ready to leave. Riku had taken every possible moment to steal Sora away from Kairi's possessive little fingers, and enjoyed the frustration in her eyes when he managed to do it _and_ leave her with all sets of parents. It was just too bad that he couldn't slip in there that they'd broken up without making things difficult for Sora too, or he damn well would've loved to watch her flounder in front of them about that one.

When they were finally getting ready to split off, Riku grabbed Sora by the elbow, pulling him close enough to whisper in his ear as subtly as he knew how. "If you want me to stay, you should be the one to ask." Sora was the perfect child, Riku knew, so both sets of parents were more likely to listen to a request from him than from their long-haired, girlfriendless son whether or not he had the better grades. Releasing his friend, he stepped back as though nothing had happened, waiting to see what the brunette would do.

o - o

"Mom, Dad," Sora shouted back into the living room almost frantically. "Riku and I are going to play PS3 in my room. Be back later!"

Thankfully, Kairi was pre-occupied with Mai. His sister had taken the first opportunity possible to drag Kairi up to her room to show her her ever increasing doll collection or…whatever. At least Sora didn't have to feel like shit about ditching her. This time.

Their parents were all still conversing in the living room as the staff cleaned up the dining area. It'd been a good meal as always. Sora's parents wouldn't have it any other way.

Satisfied they'd heard him though, it was Sora's turn to grab Riku by the elbow. "Okay, come on!"

He practically dragged Riku up the stairs, down the hallway and into his bedroom. Clicking the door shut and locking it with one firm twist, Sora let himself fall back onto his bed now, enjoying the feel of his own comforter and mattress after three months of practically sleeping on a wooden board. Dorm beds could suck ass from time to time.

Between the turkey and the last remaining effects of a days old concussion, Sora was tired but determined to stay awake and coherent this time around.

"I'm amazing," Sora crowed, although he really couldn't qualify it based on anything he'd done yet tonight. The tricky bit would be convincing his parents to let Riku spend the night. It was unlikely at best, especially after he'd only been home for one full day thus far. Might as well enjoy the time they had together before Riku had to go home then though, right? Unless he could think of an awesome excuse for Riku to stay even longer…in the interim though, Sora was back to his usual self.

"So," Sora grinned, his smile a bit devilish as he stared up at Riku from his bed. "What were you saying about this eloping thing?"

o - o

Riku stood by the door for a moment, listening to see if anyone had followed them or might be calling them for any reason. It was a simple precaution that he'd used many times when he was a teenager in his own house when he had a guy friend over that he wanted some privacy with. A parent who had called after you when you were too distracted to notice would come looking for you in your room, or at least he had discovered that the hard way one time at a 'friend's' house.

Hearing nothing that might be cause for warning, he stepped confidently away from the door towards where Sora was laying on the bed. He heard the brunette's question, but didn't feel the need to answer it verbally just then.

Instead, he reached for his friend's hips, positioned Sora on the bed, and let himself lean forward slowly between the brunette's legs, taking advantage of the taller bed and the position to add some much needed friction between their bodies. Smirking, he leaned forward, letting his body press against Sora's slowly, rolling down until his chest met his friend's, but before he would kiss the brunette he had to ask him a question.

"How's your head?"

o - o

Sora found himself momentarily dazed by the quick, confident movements of his friend. No small talk this time, ha? Just a quick lean and grind. He could get used to it, Sora thought. It'd just take a little…mm, time.

But then, a distracting question. My head? How's my head…?

Riku's slow grind was driving all rational thoughts out of Sora's head.

How's my head, how's my head….jesus christ, which one?

He bit his lip to keep from saying the smart ass comment. There was a serious doubt that Riku would find it in any way as funny as Sora did.

"Nnnh, fine, I think," he replied breathlessly. "Haven't been dizzy for a couple days now."

Slowly, Sora snaked his hands around to the back of Riku's lower waist, playing along the edges of his pants and the belt that held them in place.

His face turned a bit somber. "I'm a little iffy on what we…er, did, I guess, that afternoon I hit my head," he admitted. "I keep thinking some parts feel like dreams and…it sucks because I want to remember all of it."

He pursed his lips slightly, throat still humming softly with each consecutive grind on Riku's part. Had that really all happened? Seemed like a yes, from Riku's actions now. Determined to keep his eyes open, Sora watched Riku's expression with scrutiny. The better he felt, the more he was desperate to commit to long-term memory this time, free of the distractions of alcohol and head injuries entirely.

o - o

"Do you want a repeat, then," he asked, letting his teeth graze Sora's neck lightly, "or something a little different?"

The brunette was too easily distracted by the things Riku could do to him if he wasn't gentle, so he was in a sort of holding pattern, turning his friend on but doing it slowly until he got his answers. This would be easier than the last couple of times though, aside from the fact that Sora would have to be quiet, which Riku wasn't entirely sure he was capable of doing.

Suddenly, he straightened up, turning to the television he knew his friend had in his room. It was a very large television that they used to play games on so loudly that their parents would have to call their cell phones to get their attention when they wanted them to do something. Grabbing the remote from the stand he pressed the on switch, volume blaring as soon as the screen lit up. Channel surfing for a moment, he located a movie on one of the stations that looked promising with its loud gun shot and explosion sound effects blaring from the speakers.

Turning back to his friend, he threw the remote onto the bed above both of their heads, and pushed Sora, who must've sat up in his absence, forward towards the pillows. His friend seemed to follow his lead just enough, pushing himself backwards as Riku crawled onto the bed after him, hovering over the brunette with a smirk on his face.

"You did tell them we would be playing video games, didn't you? That should hide your voice a little…"

Positioning himself between Sora's legs as he spoke, Riku had already started grinding again, his teeth finding his friend's neck and sinking in.

o - o

"I'll, uh, try to be qui—ET," Sora said, crying out on the last syllable of the word as Riku bit into his neck.

Holy jesus. If it wasn't for the fact that his body was already tingling, responsive to Riku's steady grinding, that would have _hurt like hell_. It still kind of did anyway. This was probably why Sora wondered why he wanted Riku to do it again… .time.

Sora couldn't say he remembered a ton from their last two encounters, just that they'd been pretty hot, he'd come, and Riku had talked. A lot. Did Riku want him to talk like that too? 'Cause he was pretty sure he'd sound like a total moron in the attempt.

He also wondered if Riku preferred him on his back all the time, or if it was simply that his friend was being patient with him. Sora honestly didn't have the fainted clue how to take charge in a situation like this, where he wasn't the larger of the two and would very obviously lose any sort of struggle.

Instead, he let his fingers play over the edge of Riku's shirt, pulling it up and untucking it from the waist of his pants. Riku's smooth skin was warm and firm underneath the folds of his shirt.

Face still near Riku's ear, Sora let himself lean forward to ensure his friend would hear him. "Honestly? Doesn't matter to me. I just want to keep hearing your voice because it…gets to me," he answered honestly. Nothing about Sora wasn't genuine, even during a time like this.

Slowly, letting one hand slide under Riku's shirt to caress the small of his back, Sora slid his other hand a little lower, over the middle seam of Riku's pants as far as he could reach, feeling his friend's backside appreciatively. All the while, blue eyes were fixed on Riku's face — or at least his head now that his friend's lips and teeth were on his neck.

Again, the thought crossed his mind though: for someone so muscled, so well-built, and just plain hot, why was Riku interested in someone so much smaller like him?

o - o

He appreciated the hitch in Sora's voice, grinning into the soft skin of the brunette's neck for a moment before moving to another sensitive spot and biting down again. Riku wanted to keep going, to drive his friend so crazy that he was begging him again, but Sora's answer to his question actually brought him up short and for a moment he just let the tingling, fluttering sensations that had suddenly invaded his middle settle as his friend's hands explored his body.

Not only was he used to mostly silent partners who rarely touched his body much around the back, but he was certainly not used to getting compliments like that. The sensations shooting down his chest and into his stomach were definitely new to him, too.

The newness of sexual encounters had more or less worn off for him a long time ago, and the excitement finding him in a new partner who might do something that reminded him a bit more of Sora than the last had. God, how wrong he had been about how the brunette would act in bed! Riku wasn't entirely sure if he disliked it or if he was just surprised by it, but he definitely wanted to take back the reins a little, if at all possible. So he started talking to the brunette, just like he said he wanted.

"Oh, you like that, do you? Well, I'd like it if these pants that you've been teasing me in all night disappeared, Sora."

He let his tongue trail across the sensitive skin of his friend's neck towards the Adam's Apple before bitting down again, and slid his hands down to unbutton the brunette's pants. If Sora was going to slide his hands down the back of Riku's pants, then Riku was going to show him how it was supposed to be done. But first, the pants had to go.


	12. Chapter 12: Thanksgiving is SO (cont'd)

**A/N**: I guess I can't link to my personal account in a chapter submission? Lame. Anyway, Bereaved is linked to on this account's profile under "Nicayal" if anyone wants to know more about why Roxas died in this storyline (mature content warning, just FYI, although I guess if you're here and reading this story, that's probably the least of your concerns).

This is part II of the same chapter, just broken down so it wouldn't be 9,000 mind numbing words on one page. Or maybe you prefer the longer chapters (or that I not totally cut it off before the good stuff). Guess we'll never know unless you tell me in a review (see what I did there?).

* * *

><p>Everything about Riku was a sensual tease, even the way he talked. Sora wanted so badly to clarify, to explain that it wasn't what he said that was hot; it was just the plain act of him talking at all that did it for him. And it wasn't always a sexual sort of feeling. Sometimes it was fluttering, pleasant. Other times Sora simply felt comforted by the familiar bass of Riku's low voice.<p>

But the only response that initially came out of Sora's mouth was a breathless, "yeah, I do," before he was listening to Riku's sultry tones again.

"He-_ey_ now," Sora gasped out, feeling Riku's teeth on the tender skin of his neck again. "Haven't be—been teasing. They're just whatever Mom laid out for me," he panted, feeling Riku's fingers sliding down to the button of his pants. "You know how p-picky she can be."

It was almost a triumph to be done speaking, but then Sora found himself talking again, his voice steadier this time, but so hushed it may have been difficult to hear over the sounds of the movie in the background.

"Do…do you want me on top sometime," he asked, his voice completely tentative and questioning. Gripping the one arm Riku was using to balance over him at the wrist, Sora scratched a little at the feel of Riku's slow pace as his friend unzipped his pants. "I could try that too…"

Without waiting for a response, Sora squirmed free of his pants, revealing tight gray boxer briefs beneath and the obvious outline of a steadily growing erection. He inched the pants down his legs, using the bed for support, before kicking them off his ankles and to the floor. With only the most minimal hesitation this time, Sora wrapped his legs around the backs of Riku's calves, squeezing gently as he tangled himself up in his new lover. That's what they were now, Sora thought. Lovers…right?

o - o

"Your mom wasn't the one wearing them," Riku countered. "Or bending over in them in front of me…"

Before Sora could continue to insist that it wasn't his fault in some way, Riku kissed him hard once before moving slightly away from his friend's tempting mouth and down his slender neck again. He let his hands roam, still memorizing the brunette's body, groping and pressing and scratching everything he could reach appreciatively. His breaths were coming more and more quickly though his nose and mouth, and he could feel his body eagerly responding to Sora's movements and noises and arousal.

The muttered phrase from his friend's lips made him freeze for a moment though. It was only a moment, but it was long enough for a whole host of panicked feelings to invade his chest and stomach as the idea of anyone topping him sent a jolt of horror down his spine.

Then Sora wrapped his legs around Riku, tangled them up further, and his body reacted instinctively, rolling forward to grind into his friend's hardening groin. He didn't forget the panic or the reason for it, but for now he decided to ignore it, moving on to what they were doing, and keeping things moving forward.

That's when his groping hands found their way up the front of Sora's shirt, scratching and groping at the hidden skin there before he pushed the thing up his friend's torso and kissed the brunette. It started out slower than he usually would have, but he was a little distracted. Soon it was the frantic thing he was used to, his tongue in Sora's mouth, and his teeth nipping his friend's lips and tongue whenever he found the opportunity to do so.

By this time, temptation was beyond driving him crazy though, so using his hip, arm, and leg strength in conjunction Riku lifted the brunette's hips off of the bed as one of his hands found its way around his friend's back, sliding down past his waist and down the lower back before slipping beneath the underwear and grabbing.

He felt around for a moment before squeezing again, and groaning out loud. He growled. "Sora do you have any idea how long I've wanted to grab your tight ass? God, you're so hot."

o - o

Riku hadn't answered him, not really. But by the time Sora realized that, it was hours after the fact, when he was back in his room alone and trying to sleep. Then, it would needle and worm its way into his thoughts, him wondering what Riku's answer would've been if he'd actually given one.

Now though, the thoughts were brushed aside as Riku picked up the pace, grinding and kissing and nipping and biting. It didn't take long for Sora to lose count of the number of times he moaned directly into Riku's mouth, only to have his tongue bitten, his stomach scratched.

And he wanted contact with Riku's own arousal. God, did he want it.

Almost as if on cue, Sora felt his lower body being lifted and he arched his back to assist. It wasn't the front that made contact though, but rather Riku's hand with his ass. If Sora's eyelids had been heavy with lust before, they were wide open now, as was his mouth at the shock of the new tactic. Unconsciously, Sora flexed, tightening the muscles of his backside in the process.

What was Riku doing…was he going to…?

Sora vaguely knew how two men had sex, but he'd not once related it to himself, not even in his most explicit daydreams about Riku. The longing in Riku's voice was so raw though that Sora kept his mouth shut for the time being, even as he began to shake a little with a fine mixture of arousal and fear.

The sounds from the television tuned down a little, as a serious conversation began to take place. Again, Sora was forced to bite his lip to keep a moan from breaking out like a wave in response to the new moon.

"Riku," he said, his voice hardly above a whisper. "Touch it, please." The words were both a tactic to distract his friend from…_that_ particular act Sora now couldn't get out of his mind…and a request. It always felt so good when…

"Please," he said again, remembering only at the last minute that Riku seemed to like details. "I want to feel your hand around my cock."

o - o

It was definitely interesting to have a partner who learned as quickly as Sora seemed to, particularly when it was… well, when it was his best friend and long-time crush. How long had he fantasized about hearing words like that coming from that mouth?

He let out a little moan, or had the moan escaped his control? It could have been either really as his trailing hand slid further down, long fingers locating his friend's entrance but moving past it to the underside of something far more sensitive. He didn't realize that he was chewing on his own lip until he broke eye contact with Sora, but once he released it a new insight grasped his attention; the brunette was trembling.

"Impatient, Sora," he asked, letting his fingers caress the brunette's ball-sack and watching each and every reaction it got him with a bit of relish. Just when his friend seemed to be getting comfortable with that however, he let go, and pressed Sora's body back into the bed.

"What did you say you wanted, again," he asked, letting his hand slowly slide down his friend's middle to his thigh.

Raising himself up on his hands and knees, Riku crawled away from Sora a little before reaching up to peel the brunette's underwear off of him. He tossed the garment over his shoulder, letting his hand trail slowly up the inside of his friend's thigh, but since Sora hadn't hesitated to ask for what he wanted Riku didn't make him wait long to feel it. It was a reward then to slide his hand directly up the brunette's inner thigh, and grab hold of his erection, pumping automatically as he fished a small bottle out of his pocket.

If he hadn't already been hard, he was pretty sure the sight of his friend sprawled out on the bed below him, penis erect and in Riku's hand, and eyes half-closed from pleasure would have done the trick. He felt his own arousal twitch in his pants, groaning to himself a little as he looked down at Sora. God, he wanted him so badly it quite literally hurt.

o - o

Riku's hands were setting Sora's body on fire on a whole new level today. Despite his trepidations about that particular part of male-male relations, the shudder that wracked Sora's body when Riku's fingers lingered just a moment longer than necessary over one specific spot between his legs was a pleasant one.

Then, lower and lower until his balls were being fondled. "Ohhhh…" Another shudder rippled down his back. "_Yeah_." It was getting easier and easier to talk in front of his friend, even if he could be the first to admit his words weren't all coming out one hundred percent coherently.

But then he was being asked to …_repeat_ what he'd just said? Sora moaned a frustrated, strangled sound but was quick to comply. "My cock," he moaned. "Stroke it…"

_…__for god's sake._

Riku didn't tease for long this time, and as Sora lost himself more and more in the moment, allowing a few "yeahs" and one or two variants of "that feels good" to punctuate his other, softer sounds. He wasn't sure if he liked speaking out loud, although he couldn't honestly say he hated it either. It was just…different. But if it got a reaction like his last request did from Riku…well, Sora wasn't opposed to making it a habit on future occasions.

Not in the least.

o - o

He never knew when he might need a small bottle of lube, so Riku had begun to carry one in his pocket for occasions like this one. Granted, he had originally begun to carry one around for purposes that he knew would not be relevant tonight, but still… he flipped the bottle open, releasing Sora for the tiniest moment while he slicked both hands with the slippery substance before grabbing his friend's erection once again and pumping with more pressure.

The lube began to warm his hands up almost instantaneously, and he waited, watching the brunette's reaction and wishing he'd undone his own pants before slicking up his hands; too late. Luckily for him the warming liquid he was spreading over certain parts of Sora's body were flavored, not that Riku particularly liked cherry but it was better than the original taste of the slippery stuff. This wouldn't be all that important with many other guys, but for this brunette in particular, he wanted to taste and he knew he might have this particular problem eventually. Luckily, he'd still had the little sample bottle from that one club he'd wandered into on accident one time.

As his slippery hand slid down Sora's arousal, his lips slid over the tip, sucking once before pulling back as he let his tongue trail along the underside of the brunette's cock. Innocently at first, Riku let both hands assist him in rubbing his friend's balls, enjoying the reaction he was getting from Sora as he returned to the tip, teeth barely grazing the tight skin as he righted himself once again.

After sliding his tongue across his friend's slit, he purred a question. "Like that Sora, or would you prefer something different?"

As he asked, Riku took advantage of the pause to unbutton and unzip his pants, the pain starting to become a bit too much to bear. His slippery hands slid down his own pants for a moment, touching himself to the sight of his aroused friend while he waited for Sora's answer, but his mouth was poised to take Sora into it again the very second that the brunette responded.

o - o

His friend's voice was almost lost in the pounding thrum of the television behind them, but Sora heard it just long enough to shake his head in the negative.

The hands on his balls, Riku's hot tongue around his head…all things that made him initially forget that he'd have to actually verbalize an answer for this all to make sense.

His whole body was writhing though, even now that Riku had stopped touching him and moved slightly away. Every few seconds, he twisted, arousal swinging gently with each movement and eliciting another groan on Sora's part.

"No," he got out before finding his own hands snaking downward, coming into contact with the sticky substance smeared entirely across his lap. He hadn't expected that when he'd thought about touching himself. Surprised, he raised his head slightly, initially forgetting to finish answering as the scent of cherry assaulted his senses.

_Cherry…flavored something or another. On me. And Riku's been lapping it up._

The idea of Riku's mouth on him like some sort of candied treat was too much for Sora, and he fell back onto the bed without further complaint, hardly able to suppress the moan bubbling up into the recesses of his throat.

"K-keep doing that, Riku," Sora said, his voice more a moan than anything else at the moment. "I _want_ you to suck me off…"

o - o

"With pleasure," he responded, slipping his mouth at once back over the head of Sora's erection and taking it into his mouth as far back as it would go. He swallowed once, twice, before sucking his way back to the tip, and continuing the motion; up and down, up and down.

His hands were both at work on Sora now, his own body neglected as he let each and every sound of pleasure slide through his body like a drug, heading straight for his own cock. Riku had a little bit of a plan here, though. It was too soon to do anything that he really wanted to Sora, but not too soon, he hoped, to prepare the brunette for those things.

So continuing to suck and move his mouth over his friend's erection, swallowing every now and then and relishing the taste of it, Riku let his hands trail up the seam of Sora's backside. Squeezing now and then, he hoped to dissuade the brunette from guessing or assuming that he was doing anything more than just enjoying his body, which he admittedly was doing, while working his way towards one goal. He was going to make Sora come so hard tonight that he would remember it.

Carefully, he began to massage the entrance to the brunette's body, applying even pressure at the same time that his other hand fondled the most sensitive spot on his friend's body. Feeling his body tense in fear of rejection, Riku slipped on long finger into Sora's body, and began his search for that one magical spot that he hoped would make the brunette remember tonight for a very, very long time.

o - o

Sora wanted to look, to see everything that was going on down below. The bobbing head was an instant turn-on, unlike even how he'd felt while being given head by a girlfriend. In fairness, it hadn't happened often. Most of his girlfriends had offered, then been so timid about actually doing it that he'd rarely finished with their mouth around him. When he did, the looks of disgust were enough to deter him from outright asking them to do it again.

But Riku was on him like he was trying to eat him — or at least swallow him whole. It was so arousing to see someone look liked they wanted to be down there like Riku did that it brought Sora closer and closer to climax a lot earlier than it probably otherwise would have. It took a shit-ton of self-control just to keep himself from releasing right then…or even just telling Riku how much he wanted to come right now down his friend's willing throat.

Nope, that was still a little too dirty for Sora to be comfortable saying.

With both hands free, Sora was being driven half-mad by the fondling and almost invasive touches his friend was trailing around his mid-section and backside. Between moans and the ever-increasing squirming, Sora mentally noted something that sent slight warning bells off in his head: Riku was paying more and more attention to his ass as the minutes wore on.

It took him a moment to ponder, a moment to tense at the mere thought of having sex in such a way. At just about the same moment that Riku deep throated him and caressed his cockhead with the back of his hot throat though, his friend also slid a finger into his…

"Nnngh, Riku," he half howled. "What are you…" The rest of his sentence was drowned out by the sound of the television.

If Sora had been squirming before, he began fully writhing now. It felt so uncomfortable at first, to have a finger inside him like that, but it was being completely mixed with the pleasure of Riku's mouth on his cock, his other hand cupping his balls. It didn't feel good, might have even hurt slightly, but if Riku wanted to do something that Sora personally didn't find to feel all that great, he was willing to let his friend do it. Riku deserved something out of the exchange too, right? And it wasn't like it actually hurt. Not like the neck biting, at least. Maybe it was just a gay guy thing…Sora could deal with that.

So he allowed himself to relax a little, discovering that the finger bothered him less when he wasn't clenching in that nervous, jerky sort of way. And then his focus returned to Riku's mouth, and that hot expression in his friend's eyes as he let the sensations of everything take him away.

o - o

Riku's whole body tensed, he was pretty sure even his tongue did, as he watched Sora writhe under him like he had snakes crawling over his body. He almost pulled his hand back, hoping that if he did it before Sora yelled at him they could still talk after this and maybe try it again.

When his friend relaxed and settled back into his previous pattern of moaning and watching Riku work, however, he moaned a little in relief. Probably would have sighed, but his mouth was a little busy.

It was almost as though he had the brunette's permission to explore now, so he did. He made sure to move slowly at first, exploring the inner walls of Sora's body in search of that one spot that would make him scream. The idea of his friend screaming because of something he was doing to him made Riku groan before he'd even managed to locate…

Suddenly Sora's body went rigid and he made an almost choked noise of surprise, blue eyes wide. There it was. Shit, where had he been just a second ago? Concentrating very hard now, he backtracked, repeating his movements until he brushed past a spot that made the brunette cry out and tense beneath him the way guys did before they … shit.

He slid his mouth off of his friend's erection and paused all of his movements, trying to get Sora's attention. "Grab a pillow," he ordered, "and cover your mouth with it."

A moment of patience while a very impatient brunette hesitated, giving Riku a strange look before doing as he was told, and Riku went right back to what he had been doing, taking his friend all the way into his mouth and milking his cock for the release he knew was coming. Just needed to brush past that spot a couple more times…

o - o

What the _actual fuck_ had Riku just done?

One moment he was acutely aware of his friend's finger up inside him in the most awkward of ways. The next, white stars were shooting across Sora's vision in a way not all that dissimilar from right after he'd sustained his concussion.

Except this time, the stars were accompanied by one of the most amazing feelings of pleasure Sora had ever experienced. It started in his groin — and, without question, Sora knew he'd begun to leak a little into Riku's mouth at that point — then traveled upward through his extremities.

Apart from snapping his eyes wide open, the only sound Sora found himself able to make was a strangled groan. The next time, he was decibles louder.

And then all movement on Riku's part stopped. _What the…no. No, no, no…keeping going!_

Riku's next words confused him, but after a moment's hesitation, Sora complied. Seemingly satisfied, Riku went back to his work below.

Seriously, Sora wasn't getting it. Annoyingly, the pillow was blocking his once alluringly hot view. Why the crap did Riku want him to have a pillow up there anyw—

Riku's finger slid deeper again, and Sora involuntarily cried out, biting the pillow a little in the process.

Ah _ha_…jesus christ.

Sora could almost imagine his friend smiling, lips curving around the tight skin of his…

Another light brush of Riku's finger. This time, Sora's hips bucked, thrusting deeper into Riku's throat.

And another. More stars.

Another. More cries muffled by his pillow.

One last, teasing brush, and Sora's vision exploded with white. A sensation so intense shook him that he almost didn't realize the muffled shrieks or the spurting releases were his own.

When it was all over, he'd realize he was sweating pretty badly, that he was still panting long after his climax had ended.

Sora didn't care. All he wanted right now was to feel Riku close to him, to give him at least an iota of the same pleasure he'd just experienced himself.

As best as he was able, Sora pulled Riku up on top of him, thinking on his feet just enough to slightly raise a knee for Riku's obvious hard-on to brush against on his way back up. He kissed Riku insistently, tasting the own salty flavor of his recent release on the older boy's lips. Strange, but he'd get used to it, just like everything else.

Sliding a hand slowly down Riku's chest, Sora didn't waste any time finding his friend's erection, squeezing it gently, almost lovingly. Still panting, he tried his best to lean up, to make sure Riku could hear.

"I want to make you come just like that," he said, his voice determined, if fatigued.

It was then that the knocking on Sora's bedroom door began in earnest.

o - o

Riku wanted to kill whoever was at the door. Here Sora lay, sated and still interested in Riku's aroused body as the brunette's hands dragged him on top of that smaller body whispering promises of pleasure, and someone just _had_ to go and interrupt them. Luckily, Riku had the presence of mind to roll off of Sora because the way his friend had just jumped had the potential of really hurting him had he not freaked a bit himself.

He watched with some regret as Sora hurriedly started straightening his shirt before getting up and handing his friend's clothes back to him, and tucking himself back into his pants. There was really just one big problem… and it was immediately obvious even with his cock safely hidden in his pants again that he was still very hard.

Glancing around the room in a bit of a panic because there was no one on the other side of that door who he could go around looking like that in front of unless everyone in the house had somehow died and it was the murderer knocking on that door, Riku decided to turn and lock himself in the bathroom for a bit.

He would have stayed there too, but after a minute or so of trying to decide whether or not to take care of himself in there he could hear his own name being called. Shit. Glancing in the mirror as he washed his hands, Riku decided that he could probably tie his jacket around his waist, survive how horrible he would look like that for a few hours, and just try to think of other things until he could force his parents to take him home. Unless of course, Sora's parents let them have a sleepover of some kind, which was still possible he hoped.

Hands clean, arousal uncomfortable but hidden, Riku took a deep breath and unlocked the bathroom door, opening it slowly to see who exactly had interrupted them.

o - o

"Oh shit, oh shit, shit, shit."

The words were a mantra, alternating between running through Sora's mind and straight out his mouth.

He'd jumped up, practically clocking Riku in his scramble to get upright and fully back into his clothing. He only had a second to really figure out what was going on before noticing Riku making his way to his private bathroom.

Smoothing out his shirt and clicking the mute button on the television, Sora scrambled over to his door, hoping to gawd the room didn't smell as much like sex as he thought it might. He opened it a crack, meeting Kairi's eyes instantly, and Mai's a second later.

"Uh, what? We're, like, right in the middle of a scene here," Sora stammered, trying to sound indifferent, possibly indignant.

Kairi rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. It was Mai who practically bounced her way into his room. "Dessert time," she chirped in a way that someone her age should've long outgrown in Sora's opinion.

The moment she entered, Mai stopped, looking around.

"Where's Riku?"

Sora coughed uncomfortably. "Er, bathroom. Where the hell else would he be?"

He was trying so very hard not to look at Kairi, but that was pretty impossible considering her close proximity. She was shooting him a questioning look, a look that made Sora's stomach drop into the pit of his stomach.

Mai didn't seem to notice.

"Riku! Rikuuuu, time for dessert!"

Mai'd had a crush on Riku for ages, and everyone knew it. This was the first time Sora found it annoying instead of amusing to see her croon over his friend though.

"For godssake's Mai, we're coming," he snapped, just as the door to the bathroom opened.

Well. At least Riku looked a helluva lot more polished than he did, Sora thought.

It wasn't until they were all heading back to the staircase and down into the dining room that Sora remembered. They hadn't finished yet. Riku specifically hadn't…well, you know.

As they made their way down the stairs, Sora lingered, bringing up the rear immediately behind Riku.

"Are you…are you going to be okay," Sora asked, his voice an almost inaudible whisper in Riku's ear from a stair above him. If he hadn't felt guilty before…well, there was plenty more where that came from tonight, it seemed.


	13. Chapter 13: What's Your Number, Baby?

**A/N**: OK, I think I'm in a good groove now. I'll publish one chapter/section per week until done, so if you want to be updated on when it gets published, be sure to follow, favorite, or whatever you're supposed to do. That publishing schedule should give me enough time to work on a final epilogue-esque chapter to wrap this up too. Psst, reviews? They make me do flappy hands in a totally good way (anyone else on the autism spectrum?). So please do write one if you like what you're reading.

I'll aim to publish on the weekends, but since tomorrow's my birthday, you get an update a day early. I've got plans, yo.

Also, plugs for two other recently updated fics o' mine you may wanna check out:

1- **Bereaved**: AkuRoku, M-rated, 33K words. Click through the "Nicayal" link on this account's profile. Or Google "FanFiction, Nicayal, and Bereaved" as keywords. First update in three years on that one yesterday too. I'm on a roll! Synopsis: _Roxas is a vampire. Or Axel's hallucinating. Hard to tell, but Axel's going to have to try if he wants to graduate college and manage to keep any of his friends in the process._

2- **Logic Dictates**: ZekuAkuRoku, M-rated, 82K words total (3K currently posted). This one's guaranteed one update a week until I run out of material. Synopsis: _College junior Zexion wants nothing more than for Axel to notice him, to see him as more than a one-night stand. Between the reappearance of Axel's ex-boyfriend and his murky connections to the mob, however, Zexion might soon discover the attention he was seeking may be just the start of his dating problems._

'Til next update, lovelies~

* * *

><p>If anyone felt generous enough to explain to Sora what was going on in his life currently, he thought he'd probably appreciate it a crapload.<p>

There was Kairi looking at him like he'd grown 4 arms and Riku not looking at him at all, which…actually wasn't that different than normal, come to think, but somehow it felt like a shun even still.

And before he knew it, they'd all gone home, and he'd had "the talk" with his parents.

No, not the one about sex before marriage. Sora'd gotten that one when he was, like, 10. The "it's time to get all Asian on your ass with our expectations on your academic performance" talk.

Which was about just as not fun.

Thankfully, Sora's mid-term grades predicted all As by semester's end except in possibly math, so Sora'd only had to listen to the "we have high expectations" lecture for 30 minutes instead of, let's say, 3 hours. Apparently getting into law school was a pain in the ass that required all As and an insanely high score on a test he'd be taking junior year. Wow, he so totally couldn't wait to be just like his dad.

It seemed like an eternity before they'd let him go back to his room. There Sora paced, moving from one electronic device to another, unsure what he wanted to play. PS3 was out, because it made him think of Riku sucking him off. The computer was probably a bad idea, because he'd just end up looking for porn and getting discouraged that none of it looked enough like Riku to satisfy him. Riku, Riku, Riku. (issohot.)

Finally, he settled on his DS, curling up in bed and going old school with Mario 3. That seemed a safe enough game. Two brothers with ugly facial hair stomping on mushrooms and turtles. You couldn't get much more unsexy than that.

It was getting pretty late when the screen on his phone lit up, almost blinding the crap out of the college freshman who'd shut off his room lights hours ago. At least it'd been on silent; if his parents heard his phone go off at this hour of the night, there would've been hell to pay for sure.

Curiously, Sora scooted up and across his bed to grab the device, feeling his chest pulse a little simply at the realization about who it was. _Riku_.

He grabbed the call in an instant, breathlessly greeting his friend with a short, almost guilty sounding "hi."

o - o

Riku honestly didn't know what he was doing. Why was he calling anyone at all? He didn't know what to say on the phone with someone unless he wanted to plan something out quickly, or schedule a meet-up with one of his fuck-buddies. So when Sora actually answered his phone, Riku found himself scrambling for a reason to be calling, not really noticing the raspy sounding 'hey' that he'd actually managed in response to the brunette.

There was a long, kind of awkward pause, in which Riku found himself picturing his friend on his bed looking at him with those big, blue eyes as though he was some innocent little thing. The thought made him smirk; Riku knew better.

"What are you up to," he finally managed to ask. Did guys ask each other those kinds of things? He wasn't sure, but suddenly he had felt the most intense curiosity. After all, what if the brunette had just had those small hands of his in a similar location to where Riku had just had his? That idea made him twitch, but he schooled his body to stillness, waiting for what was likely to be a slightly disappointing answer.

o - o

"Couldn't sleep," Sora replied, even as he stifled a yawn with one hand. "Too much to…think about, I guess."

It was true, although technically Riku was actually what he was trying _not _to think about right now, or else he really wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. Images of the evening came back to him in flashes as he replayed Riku's low, sultry voice in his head.

How long had he been feeling this way? Why was it all coming to a forefront now? It was frustrating and exhilarating all at once. More than anything, it would've been nice to have someone to talk to about it. There was no one Sora knew who'd be willing though. For an awkward, silent moment, Sora put himself in his best friend's shoes. Riku had known about his sexual orientation for years by now; how had he handled it all on his own for so long? Even a few weeks of this needling uncertainty was beginning to get to Sora, personally.

"Was just playing on my DS. Mario 3," Sora offered, keeping his troubled thoughts to himself. "You know. Total old school."

When Riku didn't reply immediately, an air of expectancy seemed to hang in the air. It was too much for Sora.

"You?" The word was tentative. The rest came out in a rush. "What are you…up to, I mean?"

o - o

Riku smirked, opening his mouth to answer honestly, but hesitating. Sora was new to all of this stuff; would the truth scare him off or flatter him? It was too hard to tell at this point, so instead he closed his mouth and considered for a moment before inhaling to answer again.

"I just had to take care of something, but now I'm lying down," he replied, tone cool.

Eventually, that would in fact be the kind of thing he could tell the brunette, he hoped, but for now maybe it was for the best that he kept the finer details to himself for just a little while longer. _I just had to masturbate to thoughts of you before going to sleep, and your voice completed the picture in my mind._ Yeah, maybe not yet.

Or maybe someday soon he could show his friend the tiny, skin-tight shorts with chains dangling off of them and matching collar he'd purchased once; not for him, oh no. He'd seen the set and an image of Sora wearing them had slipped unsuspectingly into his mind… when could he hand the objects over for the brunette to try on? Would that scare him away for good? It might. Shit. Well, now his thoughts were scaring him. He had to talk fast to make that idea go away before he started worrying about it.

"Uh, so… couldn't sleep, huh," he asked. "Something on your mind that I can… distract you from?"

o - o

Sora hesitated at Riku's question, his voice coming out in a soft "um" for a moment.

Could he really say what was on his mind? To Riku, of all people?

But if he couldn't talk to Riku, who could Sora talk to then? Obviously not Kairi. Definitely not his parents. The guys on his soccer team? That was out of the question. He'd heard enough of them make disparaging remarks and shout out gay slurs on the field to know better at this point.

Maybe Riku after all then…

"I was just thinking of us," he said softly. "This is all so new to me, and I don't want to screw up our friendship. It's amazing though," he said, practically stumbling over his own words. "I'm just not sure if I'm doing it all right, I guess, so…am I?"

As with everything, Sora always said about two times as much as needed to be said to actually get his point across. The realization brought a blush to his face and begged the question again why Riku was even interested in him this way. Was it just that he was available and willing? Sora hoped that wasn't the case but had already filed it away as a possibility, however undesirable.

Perhaps it should have been surprising, his willingness to please and do pretty much anything possible to earn Riku's approval. In the end, it always came back to the fact that Sora had always felt this way toward his friend, even when they were kids. He supposed then that it made sense why he was doing it even now that their relationship had changed a bit.

Didn't mean he had any idea how to _make_ Riku happy this time around though.

o - o

Of all the things Riku had expected or not expected Sora to say that was very last on the list of things he expected to come out on the other end. Maybe this was why he'd resisted every urge to call the one or two guys he actually liked back after they'd been together. Though, that probably had more to do with the fact that Riku knew what it was like to be rejected, and he preferred few to no repeats of the feeling.

The problem with all of this for him was how easily Sora had sucked him in when he knew for a fact that he would just end up hurt like all the other times. Knew it. Then why couldn't he let go of this chance he saw? If it was Riku who did it instead of his friend then the pain would be lesser, right? Because it would not have been the brunette who had decided he was no longer interested in him, but he who had decided to reject Sora.

Luckily, that logic was not working in his head, at the moment. Physically Riku was exhausted and somewhat frustrated, but mentally he was fried. The day and night, hell, the entire week or so since the first mutual encounter had destroyed what reason he had carefully built for himself over the past couple of years, and Sora was intoxicating to him.

"You're just starting out," he answered, not sure what to say really, but forging on anyways. "How can you expect to do things right the first time? I failed all of my first times. Not that you're failing, actually. You're hot. It's just that when things are new… well, you can essentially do no wrong at this point. Or not much…"

After fumbling for words for a while and not actually saying what he meant to or wanted to day, Riku decided to shut up. God, why _had_ he thought calling Sora would be a good idea?

o - o

The sound of Riku's voice soothed him more than the words initially. God, Sora wanted Riku to keep talking. His voice was so low, so enticing. And when he stopped speaking, it was way too soon in Sora's opinion.

"So…I'm okay then," he breathed, relief washing over him. It was as though Riku was giving him permission to experiment and would simply blame inexperience on it if he happened to do something that sucked. "And I can try things I haven't before then with you…" he echoed his own thoughts as his conclusion, a tentative smile appearing on his face.

He remembered the moments of their evening together, remembered the way Riku's finger had slid into him. Had that been experimenting too? It hadn't seemed like it. Riku had seemed to know what the outcome of that gesture would be. The memory made his face flush almost immediately. It still seemed a little…gross, he guessed…for a finger to go up there — or anything else for that matter. But god, it had felt so good near the end. Could he have done that for Riku too? Should he have if they hadn't been interrupted? Sora had just been planning to put Riku in his mouth, not…any of that other stuff.

"I'm sorry too," he said, maybe somewhat abruptly. "God, I didn't know we were gonna get interrupted. I actually wanted to…" Sora's face began to burn at the mental imagery. "Well, you know."

o - o

The 'aren't you already trying things with me that you haven't tried before' comment was bitten back, but Riku had a nice silent laugh at the idea of having said them out loud. That was up until Sora uttered his last comment.

He was sleepy, so the fact that he didn't quite hold in the next response wasn't really his fault at this point; not really. Though, if the brunette had really been there in his arms… then again, they wouldn't even be having this conversation if that was the case. So it was a moot point, all things considered.

"Do I now," he replied, a little sarcastic amusement slipping into his tone. "What do I know? Because I'm not all that sure I know anything at all about what you're talking about."

Riku wasn't sure why he was doing it, or what made him want to toy with Sora a little like this, but the idea of his friend actually saying what was on his mind was unbelievably desirable all of a sudden. _Say it_, he mentally challenged the brunette. _Don't be shy. I've said much dirtier things out loud. Come on perfect little boy, say it._

o - o

"_You know_," Sora stammered. "Like, make you…" but he stopped, ears burning, unable to say it over the impersonal line of a telephone.

It was one thing to say those things in bed with Riku, especially when his friend had already indicated he wouldn't continue without some vocalization on Sora's part. It was quite another to say it on the phone. Wasn't that, like, cybering or sexting or something?

"Phone sex!" That was it.

Oh shit. Had he said that out loud? Fuck the massive load of food that was making him exhausted and even more random than usual. Fuck Kairi and Mai for interrupting them. _Fuck me for getting caught up in this confusing mess in the first place._

The last one didn't sound quite right, but Sora was on a mental roll that he continued for quite some time, all in silence, all in his head like those last two words frickin' should've been!

When he spoke again, his voice sounded frustrated, but also bewildered. "I just wanted to make you feel good," he said, the strain obvious in his voice. "I want to make things as good for you as they are for me. I just didn't get the chance…"

And if he kept spazzing out on the phone like this, Sora thought, he'd probably never get the chance again. _Crap damnit._

o - o

"Oh, I'm aware," Riku replied, trying not to actually laugh out loud at what Sora had just said. He had to answer his friend first. "I'm pretty sure Kairi had more to do with that than you did, actually."

Luckily, the mention of the person he loathed almost more than anything at the moment stifled the chuckles that were threatening to bubble out of his throat, and Riku felt his fists clench automatically. He really had learned to hate that bitch over the past few years. It was a wonder anyone missed his attitude around her at all really.

There was just a slight pause, a momentary regrouping, before Riku turned his attention back to what the brunette had blurted out a moment earlier. "So," he said, practically purring into his cell phone. "What were you saying about phone sex?"

He could easily imagine the bright red blush that was gracing Sora's cheeks right about then, and the idea of it amused him to no end. Not to mention, it was more than a little bit arousing. The brunette really was one of those types of guys that would look perfect on a leash, wearing shorts so short and tight that he looked like a willing sex-slave whose master could get easy rises out of him. For example, the blush that Riku knew _for a fact_ was heating up the brunette's cheeks, right now.

o - o

"Just thinking out loud," Sora mumbled. "By accident."

By now Sora knew that Riku was aware of this ridiculous habit of his, of saying what he was thinking instead of keeping it to himself. Sometimes it came out coherently and other times he only said half of what he'd had on his mind. Either way, it'd gotten him in trouble a shit-ton in middle and high school. If it hadn't been for his family's influence, he imagined he'd have even gotten detention a lot more than he actually had.

Word vomit. That's what Kairi called it.

Embarrassing seemed a better descriptor at this point.

Sora changed the subject.

"If we're…together? T-together now, I mean, maybe…uh, is there anything you want to do when we get back to school," he asked.

For a moment, just silence, and Sora wondered if Riku had even understood his question through all the stumbles.

"I mean, I know we can study for finals together," he forged on, "but other stuff. Like boyfriend stuff? Because I'm guessing we won't get to do much of that over winter break, if Mai or Kairi have anything to say about it…"

At this point, he held his breath, wondering if his question had been dumb. Riku had never once said what he wanted to do with Sora though — outside a sexual situation, that is. Sora's ears and neck turned bright red just thinking about _that_. But what about the other stuff? The stuff couples did. Were those things two guys would do together too, he wondered? Going to movies, out to parties. They couldn't just be boy-girl affairs…could they?

o - o

Riku would have smirked at the change of subject, commenting quickly before turning it back to the part that he knew was making Sora uncomfortable. He didn't know why, but that was exactly what he'd begun to do in his mind, fabricating his response carefully until the brunette had said… that.

In his mind he stumbled over a few answers, a few replies, some sarcastic and some disgustingly hopeful before his friend continued on taking advantage of his silence. What… boyfriend stuff? Riku had never had a boyfriend before. Plenty of fuck-buddies, definitely, but no one he wished to spend more time with outside of the bedroom… or bathroom… or car… yeah.

That raised an interesting point for him in his mind, though. He couldn't, could he? Did two guys get the luxury of dating the way a normal, straight couple did? Riku didn't know. Though, it did beg the question: did he want that with Sora? The surprisingly firm answer in his mind was… yes.

"Uh," he finally managed. Realizing that he wanted that with the brunette did not make his reply any easier, it actually made everything very difficult now because he didn't know how to say or do what he wanted. "Wh-what do you mean by… 'boyfriend stuff'," he asked, putting up his guard almost by habit without realizing he'd even done it.

o - o

What did he mean? How about movies? Or going to grab sea salt ice cream? Or holding hands on the walk in between classes? What about celebrating anniversaries or…could gays get married? Sora was pretty sure they were down with that stuff in New York. Or maybe it was Amsterdam. They were pretty much cool with anything in Europe, right? Not where he and Riku were from though.

But why the frack was he thinking about _marriage_ anyway? Holy shit. How did holding hands morph into saying vows? He wasn't even drunk. Just really freaking tired.

Instead, Sora looked down as though avoiding his friend's gaze even through cellular lines.

"I thought you'd know…" he said, his voice a little wistful. He was the one without experience in this whole thing, after all. Not Riku. Riku had years of experience, he assumed, even if his friend had admitted he'd never really officially dated anyone before now.

"Well, uh, what about the other guys you were with? I know you said you didn't uhm…go steady with them," he said, his voice upturned in a question. "But you had to have done something with them, right?" Now it was time for Sora to turn hopeful. "Maybe we could do something like that?"

_I just want to spend time with you, Riku. Don't you know?_

Except Sora didn't think he could say that. What if, after all, Riku didn't want to spend time with him in the same way?

o - o

"What did you and Kairi do?"

The desperate question was out of his mouth before he could stop it, and like someone who had just accidentally stepped in a heap of cow dung, Riku kicked his foot in annoyance wishing he could take back that verbal misstep.

Since he could not, he quickly began to wrack his brain for an answer to Sora's question; any answer would do.

"Well, I mean, we used to go to these kink clubs," he offered, and then bit his tongue, hard.

Okay, maybe not any answer. Waiting for the awkward response about what straight couples, or that straight couple in particular, did on dates might have been less uncomfortable than the explanation he would probably have to give the brunette about that last one. Shit.

"And, you know," he continued on recklessly, letting his voice drop the way it always did when he talked about this stuff. Maybe it would distract the brunette enough from some of the things he'd just said, but Riku had a sinking feeling that explanations and awkwardness were about to commence despite this save he was trying. "Lots of sex and alcohol; isn't that was us gays are most known for?"

If there had ever been a day in his life during which his father was not present that Riku had not in some way taken advantage of sarcasm, he was not aware of it. Even, or perhaps most especially, while in the presence of the friend he'd so long desired.

o - o

Sora stumbled over the question, face burning. "Er, you know…just basic stuff like—"

But before he could finish, Riku had spoken again. "A _what_ club?" he asked, truly baffled.

Kink as in kinky, as in…well, what the hell did kinky entail anyway — him wearing a Catholic schoolgirl outfit or something? Somehow, he couldn't see Riku willingly wearing a skirt. But then, somehow, he could, at least in the back recesses of his mind. Chalk it up to sleep deprivation. Maybe too much turkey. Hell, let's blame the concussion making a comeback of epic proportions.

Either way, Sora snorted over the phone as his friend continued to talk.

_Riku in a plaid skirt._

"Isn't that," he gasped out, trying desperately to quell peals of laughter and keep the conversation on-topic.

_Riku in little white knee-highs._

"Like something…" Holy shit, what the fuck was wrong with him?

_Riku's hair pulled back into two cute silvery pigtails._

"All couples get into though?"

He took a sharp breath in, forcing the image of his friend in gender bending attire out of his thoughts. Unfortunately, just as soon as those images disappeared, the hiccups started. And they weren't your adorable little sister's hiccups. No sir, not Sora's. Nothing he did was quiet, it seemed.

"But -_hic_- seriously, Ri—_ic_—ku. What's a kink club?"

o - o

Riku was actively chewing on his tongue now, returning to the calm and calculated thinking he was good at. He should never, ever call anyone he's interested again post-orgasm, that was for sure. He was too damn free with his tongue.

The fact, however, that his blurted words were used by Sora to compare what they might soon have with something akin to a straight relationship had Riku trying to decide if that was a compliment or an insult. Whatever it was to him, it could be considered no less encouraging in this situation. The brunette thought he could compare the two kinds of relationships? Maybe, in some ways he could…

Of course, the last question had Riku choosing his words very, very carefully. How could he explain this to Sora without scaring his friend away? The image of the brunette in skintight, leather shorts, a see-through mesh top, wearing a collar and leash flashed through his mind, and he almost moaned just thinking about it. Good thing he remembered just in time that he was on the phone with his little daydream; that might have been… awkward.

So… how to explain…

"Well," he began slowly, his usual tone of voice returning. "It's a place where people can bring, find, or become their sexual fantasies."

He considered leaving it at that, but went into a little more detail in spite of himself. It might be weird, but what if Sora's ideas of it were even stranger than the reality was? The brunette did have a reputation for having quite a wild imagination, after all, that hadn't seemed to go away as he got older.

"For example, someone wearing very revealing, tight clothes, like someone asking to be dominated, might wear a collar and leash to give to their dominator. Stuff like that."

o - o

"Sexual fantasies," Sora repeated, his voice a hushed flat tone as he mulled over the idea.

Did he even have any of those? Like, what would he want from someone sexually anyway, apart from, y'know, the sex bit? The only image that came to mind was Riku himself. Was Riku his only fantasy? Could one person count as a fantasy when he wasn't doing anything but being himself?

Sora harumphed a bit on his end of the phone, frustrated. Was he just some weirdo not to have thoughts like Riku'd just described? Because he didn't. Not really. The closest he could bring up was Riku in particularly tight pants, which really wasn't all that uncommon on party nights anyway.

But then, he sat up a little straighter in bed, a thought assaulting his senses.

He shouldn't ask. It was none of his business.

But…

If he and Riku were really going to go out like boyfriend and…er, boyfriend? Well, wouldn't he need to know stuff like…

"Do you…" he started, hesitating a little bit, not completely believing he was actually going to spit out the rest. But still, he continued. "…have, uh, fantasies like that…that I could, uhm, help with?"

o - o

Immediately, Riku's thoughts shot to the smallest drawer of his dorm room dresser, and the contents within that he'd purchased without ever meaning to wear himself. For the first time in he couldn't remember how long, he felt his face and neck heat up, and found himself resisting the urge to bury his face in his pillow like a cowardly little boy.

"Um," he began, only to find his mouth obstructed by his pillow. Shit.

He rolled over onto his back to prevent himself from doing something else weak, tensing his muscles to remain there as he said what he had been beginning to say a moment before.

"Doesn't everyone have fantasies that their… partners help them with?"

Riku said it with a smirk on his lips, but his heart was pounding in his chest both from imagining Sora in the submissive dress and from confessing this to the brunette in any way shape or form. He did not get embarrassed though; he just didn't. So he went on as though he was entirely unperturbed.

"Stick around long enough, and you'll find out, if you really want to."

o - o

"I…"

Sora found himself swallowing the rest of his sentence. No, in fact, he hadn't had a fantasy he could easily imagine. There'd been Kairi in neglige. And that had been hot. He couldn't deny it. But that had been a reality, not a fantasy of his. No. The only fantasy was Riku. Still. Just Riku.

Always Riku.

He didn't know what to say, didn't want to say the wrong thing. Riku's words seemed like a promise. Did he always have to be so cryptic about things though, Sora wondered.

"Okay, Riku," Sora said, holding back all the questions, all the worries that he wouldn't know what to do or when to do it. He trusted Riku implicitly, and that's just what he was going to have to rely on for the time being until he was told more.

His voice grew soft, although not exactly uncertain.

"Of course I want to…"


	14. Chapter 14: Study Break, in part

**A/N**: O hai. I have been really effin' productive in the past week: Bereaved and Holier Than Thou chapters updated on my personal FFN account (first updates in three years, whoah), Logic Dictates updated on this one. Offline, it's been all taxes and work and gym and skating and writing and final projecting for my web dev class (which ends TONIGHT. _Freeeeeeeedom_). Awesomeness all-around. That means I'm posting this a day early. To, you know, celebrate 'n' stuff. Another section of Logic Dictates should go up soonish too.

I initially had a behemoth of an author note at the beginning of this chapter, but I think I can break down that diatribe into something a little more concise as follows: At the time this piece was being written back in 2011/2012, about three U.S. states had marriage equality. Now, 70% of the country has it, with the remaining hold-out state bans about to be addressed at the Supreme Court this coming June. That's kind of huge. But since that wasn't the social climate during which this story was written, keep that in mind when reading and try to understand why these characters are so uncertain about their relationships with one another, and about what future can potentially even exist for them outside of the proverbial closet.

Also? That time period was right about when I was coming to realizations about my own orientation, so it's all a little gut-renching to have to reread at this point. I was just as terrified of my family and friends finding out as these guys are. Write what you know, I guess? The memories are just really sobering for me, and probably why I shafted writing for a few, hellish years while I was actively dealing with it all. Because it sucks when the people you care about most don't accept you for your true self. It makes for a good story, imo, but I hope none of you ever have to experience it firsthand.

* * *

><p>He couldn't handle much more of this take-home final for freshman comp. Or maybe it was just the weird looks Kairi was shooting him every five seconds.<p>

They'd been at this all day, from the moment she woke him up at 8 in the way too early to be awake morning until now at almost 6.

Sure, they'd stopped for lunch. Sure, it was true they were both almost done. But at what cost? Because Sora felt he was slowly losing his mind and nerve throughout all of this. He hadn't even been able to warn Riku where he'd gone; Kairi's kidnapping had been so sudden and unexpected this morning.

"Agh, my head," Sora whined, propping his elbows up on one of the library study tables and holding his face in his hands. "I am not cut out to be a writer. Or even just someone who writes English papers for class."

He felt a light hand on his arm, peeked an eye out from under one hand to regard Kairi. She was still giving him that off-putting look he couldn't interpret, but she looked similarly exhausted.

"At least we're pretty much done."

Sora could only nod and mumble between his palms. "We should go find Riku and grab some dinner. I'm starving and we haven't seen him all day."

The gentle handle vanished from around his arm, and Sora looked up at the sudden change.

Kairi looked like she was fighting with herself over something Sora didn't really get.

"You guys have been spending a lot of time together lately…"

Sora shot her a perturbed look. "Well, yeah. We're friends, Kai. Just like you and me, you know? I like spending time with friends."

The comment seemed to sting her, as she flinched slightly in response. "Just friends, Sor?"

Sora shot her a blank, uncomprehending look.

"You and Riku," she clarified. "It's just…I thought…"

A feeling of discomfort was making its way into his stomach, but for once Sora remained quiet.

"You're not a homosexual, are you?" The question was asked in a tentative, but clearly reprimanding tone.

Sora shot up straight into his chair. "What? No. What the…why would you…?"

Kairi blinked, obviously taken aback by his stuttered response. Sora forged on.

"No, I'm not a homosex— a gay person," he amended, midway through. He'd recently read online the first term wasn't exactly a compliment to most people. "I've dated girls, you obviously know that."

Kairi didn't look convinced.

"Besides," he continued, feeling a bit annoyed now that it'd been brought up. "There's nothing wrong with being gay. I don't care what we were told. Riku is and he's one of the best people I know, so our parents can just shov—"

He was cut off by a nearby movement, eyes drawn upward toward silver hair, aquamarine eyes.

Sora swallowed hard, staring up at his other best friend with an anxious expression at the realization that Riku might've overheard anything he'd just said.

Well, _shit_.

o - o

Riku was pretty sure he had study plans with Sora. That was, they'd planned on studying together and he hadn't been aware of any changes in that plan. It was strange how someone could realize just how much they were looking forward to something when that event didn't seem likely to occur. He'd checked Sora's dorm room, even left him a note under his door, gone to all the usual places he knew the brunette usually hung out, and when that failed to reveal his friend to him Riku had even gone so far as to text, then call. These things were very unlike him, to be sure.

Distractedly, he'd run into Ralph who looked rather hurt that he didn't want to stay and chat or flirt, but Riku hadn't really noticed in his search for Sora. At some point he gave up, went to his dorm room, and pulled out his books, distractedly flipping through them but not retaining anything.

He'd given up, grabbed a beer and some chips, flipped on the television and mindlessly changed the channel for a couple of hours before giving up on that too, then leaning back on his bed. He must have been tired because Riku woke up a few hours later to the confusing sounds of explosions coming from his television.

That's when he finally realized that this day would be a complete waste if he didn't just get up and head to the library. So that's what he did, after grabbing something to eat first, and that was where he heard a voice that he recognized.

So that's where he'd been… all day? Of course, it made sense that Kairi had something to do with this. He wondered if she'd spend all day trying to work herself up to talking to Sora about this, or if it had actually just come out now. Had she seen him coming? Maybe. Riku felt himself tensing defensively as he listened to the brunette talk, and then felt himself relax and puff up with a little bit of smugness as his friend began to defend him; not that Riku needed defending.

Smirking, he made his way toward the table, recognizing that Kairi saw him first, walking right up next to Sora. Leaning across the table between the two, but noticeably closer to Sora, he spoke in hushed tones.

"The only thing wrong here is the talking in the library. Please, hold all heated conversations on the other side of those double doors."

He looked at Kairi the entire time, resisting the urge to put his arm pointedly over Sora's shoulders. If she pushed him though, he wouldn't bother with these niceties at all.

o - o

Sora was pretty sure he'd never realized just how closely Kairi's face matched her dyed wine red hair when she was blushing before now.

She quickly regained her composure though, that much Sora could give her. He couldn't do it that fast at any rate. It was kinda impressive.

"We _were_ being quiet, Riku," she said, brows knotted a bit in a scowl. "We were just taking a break from studying. Right, Sora?"

For the most part, Sora hadn't heard. He'd been too distracted by staring at Riku's bare, muscled arm that was bracing the table in front of them, keeping him slightly separate from Kairi. God, Riku had muscles. God, that was hot. There was also a vague notion that, god, it was cold outside and Riku wasn't wearing a jacket that Sora could see.

"_Sora!_" Kairi's voice came out in a hiss, making him jump and almost slam his knee into the underside of the table. Thankfully, he missed this time around.

"Oh, yeah, we were," Sora was quick to respond, just grateful Kairi hadn't kicked the shit out of him under the table. Those sharp heeled shoes she wore looked dangerous.

"Actually," he piped up, "we were thinking about dinner since we've been here all day."

"You were anyway." It was said under her breath, but still audible enough for the two boys to overhear. Sora took the opportunity to…ignore her completely, looking up at Riku instead, eyes wide and hopeful.

"Didja wanna come, Riku? Maybe?"

o - o

Sora's big blue eyes trained on him immediately, making Riku forget the defensive way that Kairi was acting, and the amusement that he gained from her attitude. His friend looked so damn hopeful, too. It was almost as if he would be saving Sora from something excruciating if he agreed to this. Glancing back at the red head out of the corner of one aquamarine eye, Riku figured that he would be saving him, at the very least, from his interrogator.

So, choosing to ignore the fact that he had just eaten, Riku nodded. He was always hungry anyway so it wasn't a big deal.

"You know me," he said in a very low tone so that only Sora would hear him. "I always seem to be putting something in my mouth."

As always when he said something to his friend lately, there were two ways the brunette could take that. It was amusing to see which ones flew right over Sora's head, and which ones made him blush and stutter like crazy. Of course, he was also taking notes on which ones really caught the brunette's attention for… later. They might indicate the kinds of private fantasies his… boyfriend had.

o - o

The moment Riku spoke, Sora tended to lose track of everything in the vicinity. The moment Riku spoke in that magical language of innuendo though, Sora just about lost it, could already even feel his boxers begin to tighten.

What the hell was wrong with him? If this kept up, Riku was going to think he was a complete perv. Or a sex fiend or something. It was completely lost on Sora to recall that it was Riku who'd brought up the suggestion of past sexual encounters in the first place.

"C-cool," he said, forcing his attention back on Kairi. "Did you hear that, Kai? Riku's hungry. Let's go get some food and we can finish up this final later or something. Not like it's due until the end of the week anyway."

Kairi stood before Sora, letting out a resigned sigh. "Well, if _Riku_ wants to…sure." She rolled her eyes, but the sarcasm was completely lost on Sora as he hopped up to follow.

"Sweet," he said, grabbing Riku's arm and looping it with his before even realizing what he was doing.

Kairi honed in almost immediately.

"Not homosexual, hmm, Sora?" She asked the question in a singsong way, a smug smirk alighting on her features as she looked the two of them over disapprovingly.

o - o

Riku felt his body freeze when Sora touched him, and it took every ounce of strength he had in him not to just stand there gaping at his friend like an idiot. He didn't think anyone had noticed, but…

Then Kairi had to open her big fucking mouth. Dinner was going to be fun, wasn't it?

"Kairi," he jumped in before Sora could do or say anything in response. "Wasn't it you who pointedly told me that it was okay for friends to hold hands? When was that? I can't remember..."

He could remember just fine that she'd said that just before forcing her way between Riku and Sora, and he hoped she did too. Whether or not she understood what that meant, he didn't care. However, if that didn't shut her up, maybe it would get rid of the bitch. Riku couldn't fucking stand her.

Doing something he never thought in a million years he would do with anyone, he tightened his hold on Sora's arm so the brunette couldn't remove it out of embarrassment, and led his friend out of the library. He could not, of course, resist one last jab at her.

"Besides, if completely hetero guys can grab each other's asses in some sports arena," Riku added once he was free of the confines of the library's quiet etiquette, "then we can do this without being called 'homo' by some ignorant girl."

o - o

Kairi's face was back to matching the color of her hair, and Sora was pretty sure his jaw was locked in the open position by default at this point.

Riku had a point though. Sora'd always enjoyed holding his friends' hands, and it hadn't meant anything more than him wanting to feel close to them. What changed about that sentiment now that they were in college?

Well, maybe the fact that Riku seemed to enjoy wrapping his mouth around Sora's…

"Jesus, Riku," Kairi said, scampering after them, arms crossed pissily. "You came in halfway through our conversation and don't even know what we were talking about anyway. Way to jump to conclusions. You always seem to do that about everything though."

"Kai-_ree_," Sora said, trying to turn around, but finding himself locked in place by Riku's strong grip. "Maybe now's not a good time to—"

But Kairi ignored him, cutting him off before he could even finish the thought.

"Besides, _Riku_. Sora just told me he wasn't a homosexual. Or gay, or whatever people like you call yourselves. Tough luck, I guess."

Well…that got Riku to stop and turn. Convinced his friend was probably shooting a very dirty look Sora's way now, the brunet sputtered a little, unsure what to say or do.

"That's not what I…I mean, I didn't technically mean…"

But he trailed off there, not sure what else to say. Riku'd said he was bi, but telling Kairi that was just going to lead to talks about how sleeping around was a really bad idea. Unconsciously, Sora pressed closer to Riku, watching Kairi with wide, confused eyes.

What was happening with their friendship anyway? When had it gotten so strained like this? And was it entirely his fault for trying to keep them together?

o - o

Oh, now he was chewing on his tongue, but in amusement. The smirk playing around his lips at Kairi's last comment was begging to turn into a smug grin at any moment, but he was controlling it. Really, he almost forgot why he hadn't just told her outright that Sora seemed to enjoy having Riku's lips wrapped around his erection just fine, and preferred a male tongue inside his mouth to hers. Of course, that was when Sora spoke up… stumbling over his words.

Riku looked down at his friend, clinging to his arm as though Riku could protect him from anything. It made him feel protective of Sora. Sure, Kairi was attacking him, not the brunette, but it was Sora who would take it harder if she succeeded.

His fingers began making tiny circles on his friend's skin, trying to offer comfort even though Riku had no idea what that felt like let alone how one managed to do it. He interrupted Sora before the brunette could say any more, or get himself into trouble he hadn't thought about.

"Sora," he began, ignoring Kairi. "I know what you meant, it's fine. Kairi's assumptions are… like I said," and he turned to her with a smirk before concluding with, "ignorant."

Then, he turned the brunette at his side back around and began walking towards the cafeteria, addressing the red head over his shoulder as though she were unimportant. "I'm not as out of the loop as you'd like me to be, you know. Your conversations aren't so cryptic that assumptions can't be easily made. If you don't want people making assumptions about your ignorance, maybe you should keep it to yourself from now on."

He wished that would be the end of it and that the bitch would tire of his insults and stomp off to pout somewhere, but Riku seriously doubted she'd ever let him off that easily. He also had to wonder at what point he should just let up on her and start letting her win… for Sora's sake. The thought made him want to growl out loud.

o - o

"Soraaaa," Kairi changed tactics, grabbing the brunet's free arm with a manicured hand.

"You can't honestly think it's okay for him to talk to me that way, can you? He's just a bad influence, can't you see?" Her eyes were pleading, nearly glistening with unfallen tears.

Sora wasn't sure it was possible for him to feel more like shit than he did now.

He took a breath in, as he gently detached his friend from his arm.

"How is he a bad influence, Kai? Is being gay just by default something that negatively influences others?"

He was practically begging her to understand how illogical that sounded, but her expression didn't change.

"We need to talk about this, maybe," he continued. "But now's not a good time. Not in the middle of finals week or right before the holidays. Geez."

He shifted his weight, looked down a little to avoid eye contact. If there was one thing Sora hated, it was confrontation.

"Maybe we should all take a night to calm down from this and meet up again after finals are over." He turned to leave, pulling Riku with him a little. "Besides, I'm not sure I'm all that hungry anymore anyway. Might just call it an early night…"

He turned then, practically pulling Riku down the hall and around a corner. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to start that, and I'm so stressed out I'm going to fail a class and I don't know what to do anymore with her or how to keep this a secret or if it even should be kept a secret or what."

Before he could stop himself, Sora almost threw himself against Riku's chest, other arm wrapping around his friend searchingly. "I need a break," he moaned. "From Kairi, from studying…from this stupid school."

o - o

Sora was… turning Riku on, right now. Never mind that it made his chest feel warm to hear his smaller friend who was usually such a push over defending him or his sexuality. Riku didn't need anyone to protect him, he could look after himself, but… still. Not even to mention the smug satisfaction he was getting from hearing the brunette tell Kairi off, but this side of Sora was definitely turning him on.

He didn't say anything, preferring to let his friend keep that victory, only meeting a surprised and angry look with an impassive one of his own as he was led away from that face, which took on a stunned mask as they left it behind. Kairi had probably never had Sora talk to her that way before…

Then the brunette was apologizing to him, for what Riku didn't know. It didn't seem like Sora had started anything there, but then again he hadn't been present for the entire conversation.

It was a hand around his waist that distracted him, and the tone of Sora's voice must have dragged a little primal urge out of him because the next thing Riku knew he had pinned the brunette to the wall and kissed him… hard. Eyes widening at what he'd done, he released his friend and took a quick step back looking around. Luckily, he didn't see anyone he recognized in the hallway, and no one seemed to have acknowledged them in the nearly deserted area.

He was about to mumble an apology for being so stupid, but that was when Sora's words finally sank in. "You wanna get out of here," he purred, leaning in close to his friend. "I know a place we can go, but… " he let his eyes travel obviously and suggestively over the brunette's clothed body before finishing, "you can't wear anything you own."

Riku's heart was racing. He was excited and nervous all at the same time. If Sora was ever going to agree to this, now would be the time. Should he get a few drinks in the brunette first and then give him the clothes, or would his friend… his boyfriend ... willingly put the tiny, slutty shorts on without protest… sober? He wasn't sure, but he'd gauge his friend's reaction when he told him more about where they were going back in his dorm room.

Sora had been curious about that kink club, after all. What better way to let off some steam than to drive each other out of their minds all night?

o - o

God, the kiss. And he didn't want it to stop. He didn't…

Automatically, Sora stepped forward, following Riku as he backed away. But Riku was back over him a moment later, leaning in close.

His tone of voice was making Sora breathless, making him forget about the argument they'd just pulled themselves out of. He didn't know exactly what Riku meant, but he wanted so badly to be with him, to feel close to his friend the way he only did when they were together. And alone.

Biting his lip a little, not really understanding the last bit of what Riku'd said, Sora nodded.

"I need…" He started to speak, but lost his train of thought. What did he need? Besides Riku? C'mon, c'mon. Think for a second, damnit.

"I need to drop my books somewhere," he said, pulling the bookbag up onto his shoulder more securely. "And…I mean, I really haven't eaten since lunch. Will this place have food?"

A moment later, he was on his tiptoes again, kissing Riku gently, sweetly, just the way he'd imagined doing since that first night together. It felt so natural, he couldn't help itself. Hard was nice, but wasn't gentle and loving sometimes better?

Nearby, an unknown student coughed a bit. Told them to get a room or whatever under their breath.

Sora ignored them, although his cheeks flushed a little pink.

"And…" Sora hesitated again, face still close enough to Riku's to be able to whisper softly and be heard. "Can I borrow some of your clothes again, if none of mine are gonna work out?"

o - o

"It has food," Riku added, smirking. "But you'll probably be eating it off of someone else."

He was compensating now, smirking and being a little more badass than usual to make up for the fact that he wasn't familiar with these soft, gentle kisses. Sex slave. That's what he'd had every time he'd slept with anyone at this school; a submissive. He didn't want to admit it, not even to himself, but Riku didn't understand the emotions that Sora communicated in those soft kisses or the feelings those gentle lips elicited within himself.

"And, yeah," he continued, pulling Sora down the hall. "I have clothes you can wear. They'll uh probably fit you better than my clothes did, too."

He refused to acknowledge the slight heat that was slowly creeping up his neck into his cheeks, tingling like it meant to infect him somehow. How would his new boyfriend take his secret life? Would he run back to Kairi, scared of the underground life Riku was dragging him into? Hadn't she just called him a bad influence, inferring far more than he ever expected her to suspect about them? What if Sora, who had just been defending him, decided she was right?

Why was he thinking so stupidly?

"We can grab food on the way if you don't wanna eat if off of someone else, though," he continued, as though he wasn't bothered. "I never liked doing that anyway. Never know where that skin's been…"

He trailed off, amused at his own joke as he unlocked and opened his dorm room door, closing it behind him and heading straight for the smallest drawer of his dresser before he could chicken out. Before turning to the closet to dress himself, he pointed at the open drawer. "You'll find everything you need in there, if you still wanna go after you see what the, uh, dress code is like."

o - o

Sora didn't want to admit he was a little disappointed by Riku's response to his kisses. He'd hardly reacted at all, except to make Sora's whole body go hot at the insinuation about where they might be headed. He followed Riku down the hallway, out the door and into the night on the way back to their dorm room, somewhat shocked by Riku's lack of reaction to the frigid December cold. Sora was only too happy to be back in their dorm room, even with a thick winter coat on.

"Well, can I eat it off you, then," he asked, getting into the spirit a little, voice light, trying to be flirty as they made their way into Riku's dorm.

And then they were in the room, and Sora was being directed to a small drawer in Riku's dresser. Before he registered what was happening, Riku's shirt was off, and Sora stared appreciatively as the muscles flexed and relaxed.

Hot, hot, _hot_. What the fuck did Riku see in him again? Sora wasn't out of shape. Quite the opposite, actually. But his muscles had turned out lean, almost unnoticeable against his slight frame, whereas Riku's had become prominent, chiseled on his stomach, chest and arms.

As Riku reached for the belt on his pants, Sora felt his face begin to burn. Determined not to spend the entire time gawking and watching Riku strip, Sora pulled out the clothing, piece by piece from Riku's dresser.

Uhm…wow.

Without a word, Sora hastened to slip on the top, which seemed about two sizes too small. At least. The pants were no better, and after one failed attempt at getting them on over his boxer briefs, Sora gave up, quickly noting that Riku hadn't turned around yet, and slipped the boxers off in favor of going commando. Uncertainly, he connected the chain from its place under one arm of his shirt to the complimenting latch on his hip. Between the shirt and the shorts, there was still a liberal handful of inches separating the two fabrics, showing off a strip of flat stomach and back. And even in his current, non-aroused state, the outline of Sora's crotch was still clearly visible against the shorts.

And…was he supposed to go barefoot or what the…?

Riku took that moment to turn around, and almost immediately Sora felt himself go red as his friend's eyes travelled over the garment. Riku wasn't looking too shabby either, in tight-fitting attire. It wasn't _as _skimpy as Sora's outfit though. Not even close.

"I-I think it's too small," he stammered, trying to find a way to avoid being so exposed. Impossible. "And I'm pretty sure someone will notice if I wander out of here in, uh, this." Because every single item in this entire get-up probably violated the school's dress code.

When Riku didn't initially speak, Sora took in a shuddering breath, eyes trailing back to the dresser. "Also, uh…do these come with it, or…?" His question was shy as he held up the studded wrist collars, complete with optional lock latches to bind them together, and another, bigger studded wrap-around. This one large enough for a neck, and attached to a delicate but strong looking chain.

o - o

Riku was working his jaw, tightening and releasing, and tensing his muscles to stand still when he turned around. Sora was already his walking fantasy, but now he was dressed the part he'd played in Riku's mind for the past year. How on earth was he supposed to get Sora out of his dorm room without fucking him into his bed?

Just looking at him now, Riku could feel himself getting hard. Then again, that was the point of these places - to tease each other until neither could stand it anymore. A form of torture that was enjoyable, or so it was posed to him the first time he'd been dragged along.

He took a few slow steps towards the brunette making sure that he would be able to touch his boyfriend without throwing him down on the bed and just taking him. Sora wasn't familiar with that fantasy the way some of his other partners were, and … well… the brunette was a virgin. He wouldn't be able to do that the first time.

Riku let his hands slide over the exposed skin on his boyfriend's body, tracing it teasingly with a fingertip, before sliding forward and kissing him on the mouth, soft at first the way Sora seemed to like it but steadily hardening it until he was devouring the brunette's mouth with his own. He broke away quite suddenly with a sharp exhalation, mouth open for a moment before Riku closed it into his usual smirk.

He wondered if Sora had noticed him taking the collar away from him and putting it around his neck during the kiss, or if the tug on the long chain that Riku now held in his hand would be a complete surprise.

"Well, you're supposed to be my sex slave," he said, spitting it out before he could lose his nerve. "Not allowed to touch anyone including yourself without my permission."

Letting the cold metal hang loosely off of his wrist, he took the wrist cuffs from the brunette and attached them to his slender wrists before continuing on with his explanation. "And a coat will be more than sufficient to hide you until we get there."

He smirked, gripping the leash again now that his boyfriend's hands were secure. "Are you up for that, a night of teasing and driving each other crazy where we can't do anything about it for a while, or should I just go get us hamburgers for you to eat off my chest here?"

If Sora wanted an out he had it, not that Riku would be all that thrilled with him if he did, but… he could be patient, couldn't he? They were certainly about to find out.


	15. Chapter 15: Study break-me-apart

**A/N** (translation: incessant author ramblings): Hello from my ski holiday. That's right. I took time off the slopes just to get this section published. Also, for some reason, I played Matt and Kim's "Get It" on repeat while reviewing/formatting this chapter. Listen to the lyrics and tell me they're not relevant. _Do eet_.

Okay, so, **fun fact 1**: Pretty sure neither writer had been to a kink party prior to writing these scenes; **fun fact 2**: One of my former roommates was (is) the owner of a gay sex club and threw all-gender kink parties once in awhile (alas, I never ended up going to one). For someone who works in such a racey, er, field, the guy was sweet, respectful, and quiet, just an overall nice guy to room with. The more you know... ;)

I'm also now kinda internally snickering about the audacity I had to think I could write something I knew, approximately, zippo about. Please forgive me. It's not actually as inaccurate as it potentially could've been, at least? So there's that. I did more substantial edits in this section to ensure the concept of consent was more clearly defined. Sorry to any Republicans who might be reading this. I couldn't help taking that one, light jab...

* * *

><p>The kiss, the soft kiss. Momentarily forgetting what he'd just put on, Sora leaned forward eagerly, returning the soft expression of affection with one of his own. He felt Riku's finger trace down his body, quivering a little at the feeling of his friend's fingernail against the thin fabric of the outfit he'd just slid into.<p>

And then harder and harder, until Sora was nearly breathless, feeling Riku's hands slide around his throat, snapping the collar in place.

"I wouldn't want to touch anyone else anyway," he declared, a quizzical expression on his face. But not being able to touch Riku? Wasn't that akin to torture instead of fun?

Still, he didn't protest, didn't say anything in the negative at all. It was Riku who knew what he was doing, not Sora. And Sora so very much wanted to measure up for Riku, so very much didn't want to get left behind by his friend for someone more daring. Or nicer looking. Or…

"I want to go wherever you do," he said. "I'll do whatever you ask."

Fingering his end of the leash almost gingerly, a smile broke out on Sora's face. "It's sorta like Halloween a bit, ha?"

If his friend shot him a look, Sora didn't see it, too intent on biting his lip and eyeing the barely there shorts with a bit of scrutiny instead.

Before he knew it, Riku was slipping him into an ankle-length coat, sliding his bare feet into a pair of black shoes. Vaguely, Sora wondered if he'd be allowed to keep the shoes on at the club, but he supposed Riku would tell him once they got there.

They headed out into the hall, Sora feeling strangely exhilarated as they passed Kairi's cracked open dorm room door. If only she knew what he was wearing under the coat. Jesus, would she ever flip a shit.

But they passed that hallway before he knew it, heading out into the frigid weather and toward Riku's sporty car. The leather seats were freezing against his ass, even with the coat on, and Sora's teeth began chattering almost immediately. Jabbing a few buttons expertly, Sora turned on the seat heaters, hoping to god they'd warm up faster than they usually did.

Then there was silence for a bit, as Riku pulled out of the parking garage and away from campus.

Again, Sora found himself playing with the leash, wondering if Riku was being one hundred percent serious about this whole sex slave business.

"So…" he said, his nerves very clearly displaying in his tone of voice. "I'm supposed to do everything you say…but no one else…right?"

o - o

Riku felt powerful, fast car under him with his walking fantasy in the passenger seat ready, it seemed, to do anything he asked. He felt his body shudder; he could come just thinking about this whole situation… maybe. God, Sora was so hot.

He raised an eyebrow at his frie-boyfriend's question, not quite taking his eyes off of the road he was going way too fast down. It was safer to watch the road for other cars, cops, or pedestrians than to get distracted with Sora, just then. Killing both of them when this was all starting now seemed like a very bad idea no matter how tempting the brunette's possible facial expression might be.

"That is up to you," he said as unemotionally as he could muster. After all, this it seemed was new to Sora… it was only fair to let him find out his own fantasies the way Riku had discovered his in the beginning, by experiencing them and noticing which ones his mind went back to over and over again after it was all over.

"Though," he continued slowly, as if in spite of himself, "if anyone else tries to touch you tonight, I might have to rip their throats out." The feral and possessive tone of voice that he slipped into towards the end of that declaration was a little out of his control, but the thought of anyone else even touching… without Riku's express permission… even then… **no**.

Then he caught himself, smirked, and let himself glance at Sora out of the corner of his eyes. "But if you like the orders someone else is giving you… by all means."

He made a quick turn at that, sliding halfway down the new street before, pulling into the back lot of a black painted building with no discernible signs on it. He switched off the car turning to the brunette, and since they were close enough to sprint to the door he smirked holding his hand out suggestively, palm up. Time for order number one.

"Give me your coat."

o - o

Sora couldn't imagine a scenario where he'd like receiving orders from anyone other than Riku. Come to think, he wasn't sure if he'd even like being given orders by Riku.

Yet he kept silent when Riku spoke, taking in his words as if there'd be a pop quiz by the time they got to their destination.

Did he really mean that much to Riku that his friend would actually hurt someone else if they touched him? He was probably just talking. Sora hoped.

And then they'd arrived, at a nondescript building Sora wouldn't have looked twice at from the street, and Sora was looking up with wide eyes as Riku ordered him to take the coat off.

Was he really going to go out in public in this get-up? He was practically naked. You could even see the outline of his…geez. Sora shivered a little, although not from the cold. He trusted Riku, right? Because if he didn't, now was the time to back out, and demand to be taken home.

_He'll never want to be with you if you back down though,_ a needling voice insisted at the back of his mind. _This is what Riku likes, what he wants. He'll get bored of you if you wuss out._

Sora couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't. He was already losing Kairi, despite his best efforts to keep their friendship intact. He couldn't lose Riku, not after it felt like he'd just gotten his friend back. Sora swallowed away his fears, slid the jacket off his bare shoulders, all the while looking at Riku, looking for a hint of comfort to take from his friend's teal eyes.

And then they were running, and Sora was freezing, teeth chattering, out the car, to the back door, where Riku obviously knew the doorman, had obviously thought in advance to swipe Sora's wallet, or at least his ID, as they had only been stopped a moment before being let in.

The world Sora stepped into inside the building was entirely different, entirely new, at the very least warm. Unconsciously, Sora slid a few steps partially behind Riku as a few patrons nearest to the entrance turned to regard them. And then, silently, he simply opened his eyes and stared right on back.

o - o

The hesitation… well, Sora was new to this so he could go easy on him, right? No need to punish him in the beginning for things he was just new at. Right? What was a good punishment for someone you were trying to entice into this sort of world anyways? Oh, he knew a good one, actually…

As they walked in, Riku seeing faces he recognized, the brunette slipped silently behind him as they made their way through the crowds. Using the chain he held in his hand, the one attached to the collar around the brunette's neck, he pulled his boyfriend around beside him. Then, Riku reached out, running one finger feather-light over Sora's skin from the middle of his shoulder blades all the way down to the crease between his legs before pulling his finger away, again.

Leaning in, he pulled Sora to a halt using the metal leash, and purred in his ear, lips skimming the sensitive skin as though by accident. "No hesitating, you hear? You do as I say, when I say it, or I'll punish you… severely." He emphasized his words by letting the metal chain run slowly over the front of the brunette's body, and down…

Then he pulled away, checking his boyfriend's face for an expression that would let them go further inside the club. Sora had to be okay with this, or they should leave now. Once they were in the thick of it… well, Riku knew he would lose himself too much to notice much else other than the way he felt and Sora, _Sora_, **_Sora_**.

One more thing though, because he wanted to alleviate any fears his friend might really have about being trapped here tonight. Riku felt a bit like an ass or an idiot because this was something they should've taken care of in the car before coming in, but he'd been… a little excited at the prospect of having this guy, Sora, his best friend as his sex slave here tonight.

Pulling Sora around to face him, Riku murmured in his ear, "If you need me to take you back for any reason… any reason at all, just say… uh, what should you say?" He paused, pulling back to look at the brunette in his blue, blue eyes before leaning forward again. "Just say 'blue'. Okay? And we'll leave."

He waited for a reaction from his boyfriend before turning to face the club again, to make sure the brunette had understood or heard him at the very least. Then, as they made their way past the furries, an odd fantasy Riku would never understand, to the table in the middle where several naked bodies were pouring various types of edible things over their skin for the spectators to lick off, he leaned close to Sora again.

"You look so hot tonight," he purred, running the tips of his fingers across exposed skin at the edge of barely there shorts. "Mmm, Sora, the things I would do to you…"

He let the thought trail off as they passed another small line of 'pets' being led around on their leashes, by men with roaming eyes. It made Riku feel both proud and possessive to have those eyes linger on Sora as they neared. This would be the brunette's moment. A sort of initiation, you could call it, or a test. The first man stepped forward, his own blond sex-slave forgotten behind him, and Riku let his eyes roam over the other leashed ones as the dark haired man with facial hair stepped closer to Sora to give him an order.

He could choose to obey it or defer to Riku, and that would set the tone for the entire evening between them. Whatever the choice, he was prepared to make himself handle it; he was.

o - o

Punish. Obey or be punished. Sora bit his lip, chewing on it a little as he was led forward. He kept quiet though, even as Riku had slid the chain of the leash across his stomach. That's what he was supposed to do in a situation like this…right? Even if he wanted Riku to touch him?

He stared at the back of his leather-clad friend as they made their way further into the club. Then, just as suddenly, they were stopping and his friend was giving him a…what? A safe word? In any other situation, he would've cracked a joke, would've laughed at the absurdity of it all. This time, Sora repeated it in his head, forcing himself not to say it out loud. Blue. Blue, blue, blue was his ticket out if he lost his nerve. Slowly, Sora nodded his understanding.

His friend's touch elicited an involuntary shiver as Sora leaned into it, eyes practically begging for more. The things he would do…things he would…then why not just do them now? Why parade him around a club in humiliating fashion practically naked and around people dressed as foxes and bears and shit?

But his friend's words from a moment earlier came back to him. This was what Riku wanted, what turned him on and got him going…maybe it was what all gays liked. Sora didn't know, didn't have any experience in anything involving this world outside of what he knew of Riku. And Riku had been so nice to him, so accommodating during their other moments together.

Sora's expression turned resolute. He'd do what Riku asked. Or ordered was probably more like it.

As they ventured further into the club, Sora noted other individuals on leashes just like his. He tried to catch their attention, but none thus far looked up at him. All eyes were trained downward, or on the holders of their leashes, if they had someone. Sora dutifully followed suit.

The dark-haired man's approach was unexpected to Sora who'd been so distracted by the other sites to see that he hadn't particularly been paying attention. Now he looked up, if only for a moment, taking in the hungry glint in the older man's one visible eye, before dropping his gaze almost demurely as he'd seen the other leashed club goers do. Dude had an eyepatch. What the fuck? Was he a dominatrix pirate or some shit? Good lord.

"He's a pretty one," Sora heard the other man say. Looking up briefly, he realized the man was addressing Riku and was talking about…him. "Are you sure he's legal?" The man's lips curved upward into the beginnings of a smirk as he took Sora in with an appreciative look. Sora bristled but held his tongue, trying to remember everything Riku had told him about what he could or couldn't do here. Telling someone off for saying he looked pre-pubescent probably wasn't on the okayed list.

"Come here," the man said, his voice taking on a less conversational, more authoritative tone.

If Sora felt exposed before, he felt positively naked now.

He wanted to glance over at Riku or, more accurately, wanted to scurry directly behind him.

No hesitating, Riku had said though. No hesitating or expect to get punished.

Timidly, Sora moved forward, toward the man, as close as he could get before the chain of his leash pulled taut.

A hand lifted his chin, forcing his eyes upward. A moment later, a finger was being inserted into his mouth.

"Suck it."

Sora almost gagged at the implication. Quite honestly, the only one he'd ever even considered…sucking…was Riku. Finger or not.

Still, this wasn't that hard, right? It was a fucking finger, not anything seriously bad. As the man slid first one, then a second finger between Sora's lips, Sora complied, adding a little pressure, imagining it was Riku as his eyes closed of their own volition.

He heard the yank of a chain before he saw the resulting approach or the murmured command. A moment later, the fingers were removed as the man stepped back, pushing the blond whose leash he was holding forward simultaneously. The other leashed male was only slightly taller than Sora himself, with hazel eyes and a confident, if submissive, smile.

That was all Sora got to see of him, for at that moment, the blond moved forward to comply with the darker haired man's order, one that Sora hadn't even heard. Sora's jaw dropped in surprise as the blond pressed himself against him, grinding his hips, pressing his mouth and tongue against Sora's. The next thing he knew, the blond's hand was cupping his crotch. Sora let out a surprised yelp, backing up almost automatically. That…that wasn't okay. He was still shy about _Riku_ touching him there, Jesus christ.

This time the dark haired one sneered, directing his next comments back at Riku as though Sora weren't even worthy of them. "Can't control your own pet, is that it? You must be new at this."

o - o

Riku was torn between killing the man with the black hair, and being completely turned on by the way Sora just… followed his orders. This had not been as hard when it was Ralph at the other end of a leash (though, Ralph had come with his own clothes; Riku would never dare to give Sora hand-me-downs), even though Ralph looked like his boyfriend from behind.

When the petite blond practically attacked Sora though, Riku moved to stop them, just in time for the brunette to squeak and jump away from the other one. Well, good little blond for following orders, he guessed, but bad for touching what belongs to me.

The smirk that lifted his lips, confident and taunting as usual, was the reaction he gave the disappointed black haired man before replying. "I didn't bring him here for **your** pleasure," he drawled. "Who would want to watch mine play with your scrawny blond, anyway? Find that one outside on the club's doorstep? You probably should have fed him first."

He turned away, head angled high and tugging Sora along behind him and hoping the brunette would be paying attention and follow willingly. That man was lucky Riku didn't kill him for sticking his dirty old fingers between **his** Sora's lips.

Heading for the bar, he slid a hand down the front of his boyfriend's body, teasing at the very top of the little shorts, as he walked slowly. "I think you need a drink to wash that filthy bastard's taste out of your mouth," he said. He was definitely trying to reward the brunette for getting him aroused despite the disgusting old man and the angering situation.

Maybe, after a drink… maybe then Sora could play with Riku. Would he be shy about other people watching? Riku really, really hoped not.

o - o

The dark-haired man was taller than Riku, by at least a head. Yet Riku didn't back down in his retort. Slowly, relief began to wash over Sora, as he realized Riku wasn't going to punish him, or even force him to jump back into the fray with the blond. In this setting, he was afraid to say no to Riku, but Sora honestly didn't think he could handle letting someone touch him like that again, even if it had started getting him a little hard.

As Riku pulled him away, Sora glanced down momentarily, face turning instantly red as he noticed evidence of his beginning arousal showing plainly in his tight little shorts. Holy shit, this was embarrassing.

Before he could think any more on the subject, Sora felt Riku's hand at the edge of his shorts again. He sighed a little, leaning into the touch, eyes practically begging Riku to hug him or show some sort of affection beyond the simple, momentary brushing of fingers against sensitive flesh.

But Riku had other ideas, and Sora _was_ hungry, even if a drink didn't sound particularly appetizing when he hadn't eaten since lunch. Nodding slowly, Sora put on his best expression of gratefulness, murmuring a "thank you, master," in a way he was surprised didn't come out sounding less submissive and more just flat-out hilarious.

Maybe he could pull this off, after all.

Assuming people on leashes called their holders master, that is. He probably should have checked up on that before just getting into a character he really didn't know how to fill at all.

Still, he took the drink, eyes downcast and only flicking up once in acknowledgement of the offering. Taking an appreciative sip, Sora moved closer to Riku, hovering close but not touching, hot breath on his friend's shoulder as he surreptitiously stole glances around the club. If the dominatrix pirate man with sausages for fingers decided to come over and retaliate, at least Sora would be prepared…to run and hide behind Riku. Or something.

Oy…

o - o

Riku groaned out loud when Sora spoke, eyes going wide with hunger and want at those words. Where had the brunette caught that one? He didn't care. Riku was feeling drugged, addicted to his boyfriend more than could possibly be healthy. It was a masochistic sort of pleasure, but, god, he wanted more.

It was about then, as he watched Sora's eyes travel over the menu that he realized he'd forgotten to get them something to eat along the way. Shit. Well, the food here wasn't really food in that sense, since it was all meant to pleasure people in some way. Fruit sat in plates, whipped cream in bowls, and different kinds of sweet sauces like honey, chocolate or caramel could be seen over the counter as well. What would Sora want?

"Hungry, pet," he asked, craving that response, hungry for more of what Sora had been giving him here.

Trying to follow the direction those blue eyes had paused as he looked around at the possibilities, he ordered one of the fruit bowls and, for a little experimentation, some whipped cream. Riku had never been into food fetishes, but for Sora maybe having that hot mouth suck something off of his fingers would be… what he was craving tonight. Whatever it was though, it was far from satisfied and spiking fast.

As soon as he had their snacks, Riku handed the supplies to Sora, it would be foolish to carry something around when you had a slave to do it for you, and turned to find an unoccupied, clean couch. Making his way to one empty one, Riku began to decide how they would do this slave and master thing with food, excited at the possibility of trying something new with Sora.

Ignoring the hungry eyes that followed them, and feeling a swelling of pride that it was most likely his boyfriend that was attracting them, Riku turned back to Sora as he leaned back onto the couch.

"Sit," he said, grabbing the supplies and putting them on the small table beside the couch. "Hungry," he asked, grabbing a piece of fruit before every getting a response and placing it on his bare chest. Propping himself up on his elbows, he raised one eyebrow at the brunette.

"Clean it off me," he said, pointing at his own chest, "and I don't want to see any mess left behind."

o - o

In almost any other situation that Sora could imagine, a scenario like this would be cause for cracking jokes, for mockery. Slaves and masters? What the absolute fuck?

But, maybe surprisingly, there was a level of fun to this all and, more than that, a hint of arousal built in. He'd never seen himself as an actor but Sora had to admit it was kinda fun, the way a few simple words said a few submissive ways could affect Riku so much.

Sora could get used to this, he decided, as far as he could tell now. He always figured himself a follower, had been throughout his childhood, always tagging along behind Riku, always letting his best friend lead the way. It made sense then, he supposed, that he'd be doing it now too.

But there was a sense of control to being a slave, or whatever the official terminology was, and Sora was finding he was actually getting a bit of a kick out of it. Wasn't too sure about all the stares, but it honestly just made him play the part better, keeping his head bowed low, eyes down and waiting for Riku to address him next.

Because if he'd had to look up…if he'd had to acknowledge what other people were seeing as he wandered around this club in…he most likely would've lost his nerve and said 'blue' about 50 times by now.

Instead, he listened as Riku posed his next question. "I'd be grateful to eat anything you provide, master," he intoned, his voice low, meant for Riku alone. He wasn't sure if his friend would catch the innuendo, but at the very least he had to admit he wasn't on the verge of laughing anymore at the thought of Riku holding his leash.

Sora took the bowl of fruit willingly, still trying to feel out what was acceptable or over the top in this instance. By the time Riku found a place to sit, Sora thought he'd pretty much figured out the drill, standing politely until he'd been given permission to do otherwise, then sitting daintily on the edge of the couch as he awaited the next order.

His eyes followed Riku's hand as it chose a cut strawberry and placed it at the center of his chest. This time when given an order, Sora remained quiet, locking eyes with Riku for just a moment. Not defiant, just adoring in his own, innocent way.

"Like this," he asked, eyes never leaving Riku until he had to lower them to retrieve the fruit. Almost gingerly, Sora leaned down, careful not to touch Riku with anything but his lips. Once in his mouth caught hold of the fruit, he moved away, slowly chewing, relishing the flavor. This part wasn't so difficult; Sora actually _was_ pretty hungry.

But the fruit had left a small smear of wine red juice on Riku's olive skin. For a moment, Sora simply regarded it with curious eyes. Then, leaning forward once more, he asked his next question in reverent tones before slowly lapping the remaining juice with the barest tip of his tongue.

"And this…?"

o - o

Riku had never even imagined anything like this with Sora. Had he ever had a partner this good? Sure he had, but if he'd thrown something new at any of his other partners would they have picked up his queues as easily? He seriously doubted they could look at him like this though, with those blue eyes almost innocent in their questions.

It was damn near impossible to keep from throwing his head back and arching into that teasing tongue, but also unimaginable for Riku to take his eyes off of his boyfriend for even a second. He had clearly underestimated Sora.

He didn't trust himself to speak at first, waiting until the brunette drew back from him before answering as calmly as he knew how. Would Sora recognize the slight quiver in his tone, or would that go unnoticed?

"Not bad," he said, adding more fruit in a deliberate trail down his abdomen before holding up the last red one, and sliding it over his lips, watching the brunette's expression. "Remember, don't leave any of that mess behind. Clean it all up."

Then he placed the last bit of fruit between his lips, taking a tiny bite as he watched Sora, but not eating it entirely. This was not at all like him, but… this was not something he had experienced before, either. He wanted to see more of this side of his boyfriend, his first boyfriend, and he wanted to see what else the brunette was capable of.

What was Sora going to do when he finished the fruit on Riku's body, and was told to lick whipped cream off of his fingers… to suck them clean? What would he do when ordered to do the same off of his own fingers? God, how long would Riku last before it was necessary to shove the brunette back towards the car? He didn't know how he was going to make it back home tonight. Riku wanted Sora now, and he was only capable of being patient for so long.

o - o

If anyone was watching them now, Sora was completely unaware. Mouth opening slightly in aroused awe, he watched Riku create a fruit trail almost down to his…wow.

It took all his willpower not to lung forward just then, and Sora could feel his own arousal grow at the thought of eating and licking and tasting everything Riku allowed.

And then those lips, those expert, smirking lips. He shot Riku a lustful look, but only for a moment, before remembering to drop his gaze, trying to make it respectful. That, in itself, was getting more and more difficult as the night wore on.

Slowly, Sora bent down again, this time taking the fruit, chewing, and swallowing as quickly as possible. It was the cleaning and licking he wanted to savor. And that he did, sucking gently against Riku's stomach at first, before taking another piece of fruit, then a third in his mouth and working his way back up to clean. The last one, Sora lingered on, making sure to clean ever more carefully as he allowed his tongue to slide down a little further to the edge of Riku's pants. At the same time, his hand brushed gently at Riku's side, something he figured he could get away with as nothing more than a clumsy mistake as he sat back up, looking at the piece of fruit between Riku's lips with longing.

He hesitated only a moment before leaning in for a gentle kiss. Then, experimentally, Sora pulled fractions of an inch away, flicking his tongue out to slide across Riku's lips, lapping at the fruit between them, almost as though asking permission to take it from him.

Then, more insistently, Sora pressed their lips together, bit off a piece of the fruit he could reach, and took it into his own mouth. Without realizing it, a hand had trailed to Riku's thigh. A moment later, he pulled away, an apology in his expression before bowing his head again. It was one thing to play a game and quite another to discover his friend had a fetish with inflicting pain as a form of punishment. It was one thing Sora didn't think he could handle, so the expression of regret was genuine, if only momentary as he lowered his gaze to Riku's lap…and inadvertently saw exactly what his efforts had gotten him.

o - o

It was taking all of his bottled up, ready to explode, willpower not to moan out loud as Sora did his very best to clean Riku's exposed body, eating, licking, and sucking as he went. There was something sensual in this that he'd missed out on before, but he was glad he had. He wanted to experience this with his boyfriend.

He hadn't allowed touching, and one he could forgive but a second he could not. Well, that was easy enough. Riku had already planned the next part, but now he could use it as a punishment instead. He'd just have to start it without the sweet flavor of the dessert he'd purchased.

Tsking, he tightened his grip on Sora's leash and forced a stern expression across his face.

"Bad little slave," he chastised, keeping the smirk off of his face and trying not to let the images of pounding into the brunette cloud his thoughts here. "You should know better than to touch without permission."

Pulling Sora towards him, he adjusted his position slightly, subtly taking in the brunette's exposed body as he did so. Leaning forward, he pressed two fingers between his boyfriend's lips, adding, "Now show me how sorry you are." He was going to come in his pants from this, Riku just fucking knew it.

o - o

"I-I'm sorry," Sora stammered, momentarily breaking character, this time actually feeling a little nervous. Riku wasn't smirking, didn't seem to be teasing him. There was a dead seriousness to his expression that Sora rarely saw in his friend before now. It made him more anxious than he'd like to admit.

He felt himself being pulled, felt the collar around his neck tighten as he was lifted up slightly, saw Riku's eyes momentarily travel the length of his front. He was still hard from the earlier teasing, mouth sweetly sticky from the fruit and assorted juices that had come along with the bowl. And now, as Riku looked at him, Sora was feeling it again.

Trembling a little, Sora closed his eyes against Riku's intense stare. For the first time in his life, he actually wondered if his friend was going to strike him.

But then fingers slid between his lips, pressing against the barrier of his teeth insistently. And when Riku spoke, Sora felt a relief at the realization that he knew what to do, could still try to make up for the silly indiscretion of his hand on his friend's leather-clad thigh.

He looked back up at Riku, this time with an expression of adequate apology, before taking the fingers into his mouth more fully.

Licking experimenting along the bottom of them, Sora worked his mouth back and forth over Riku's fingers, keeping his eyes trained on Riku, trying to gauge a reaction. Sora had never given head to another guy before, not even Riku as of yet. But he remembered what Riku had done for him already twice now. Slowly, he reached a hand upward, holding Riku's palm within his own fingers, as though to steady the ones in his mouth.

It felt a little silly doing this to Riku, but Sora had to admit it was undeniably better than having to suck that pirate wannabe's hand. His eyes wandered downward, to Riku's stomach, then lap. There, he saw the hard outline of his friend's own arousal, and unconsciously began to suck in response to it. He wanted to taste his friend so badly, wanted to become familiar with Riku's flavor as he got closer and closer to…

Before he could register what was happening, Sora's own eyes closed as he relished the image. And, before he knew it was even his own voice, the brunet let out one low, needy moan that vibrated along the fingers in his mouth, and up and out to Riku's arm.

o - o

Riku couldn't help it, when Sora moaned he jerked his hand back, freeing his fingers from the brunette's hot mouth still staring at his friend with slightly wider than usual eyes. God, what he could do to that innocent seeming mouth right now if they had done this in Riku's dorm room instead.

The problem he was having now was that there was a choice he had to make: leave the rest of the food here for someone to scavenge as they ran back to an available warm bed or remain here until they both burst. Riku was well aware that there were bathrooms and backrooms here, but doing things like that with his boyfriend in a public place was a little too kinky for him, he had to admit. Besides, he wanted no eyes but his to see what hid beneath those shorts, even if the outline of it was pretty easy to see for anyone who wanted to look. That was fine, but only he could see the exact size and shape of what lay beneath those tiny shorts.

A slight growl slid up his throat, and Riku found himself quickly getting up. "Sora," he added curtly, holding tight to the metal leash, "come."

He didn't bother to explain himself, since that would take far, far too long. Instead, he walked as calmly as he was capable to the door, pulling Sora behind him. Never had he experienced a time in this club where he could not ride this high all night, aroused and dying for release until the place practically threw him and his slave for the evening out, but there was no more waiting now. He couldn't take it anymore.

Pausing barely long enough to conceal his hurry and nod politely to the bouncer who was pretty much just there to make sure jail bait didn't make it inside, Riku did his very best not to yank the brunette through the door by his leash as they both hurried through the cold to the car. The button was pressed, the doors unlocked themselves, and then Riku was inside his car turning the engine over and waiting for the brunette to turn the heater on like he always did.

That was as long as he could wait. As soon as Sora turned to look at him, Riku pounced, kissing him roughly and kneading the bulge he could easily feel through those tiny shorts. He'd wanted to touch the brunette all night, and the growl that slid up his throat now was a testament to just how much he wanted just then.

Just as suddenly, he pulled back from Sora, reaching around and handing his boyfriend the coat he'd taken from him upon arriving here, and pushing the car into gear so that he could speed them both home. Riku was fucking tired of waiting.


	16. Chapter 16: A Study in Breaking

**A/N**: So, short OOC story time. This complete section that you're currently working your way through clocked in at the longest word count when it was originally written, nearly hitting 20K words on its own. Since that's not the kind of torture I enjoy inflicting on innocent readers, I'm trying my best to find good spots to break the sucker apart. The original RP thread was called "Study Break" so I'm just trying to keep with that theme with some of these section title plays-on-words.

This one's a little shorter than I'd prefer to post up, but it was the best place to cut it off. The next chapter (and final part of this long-ass section) is over 5K words though, so it all balances out in the end.

Sorry, not sorry. For any of this.

* * *

><p>Had…had he done something wrong? The way Riku pulled back seemed to suggest that he had, although Sora would've been hard-pressed to know where he'd messed up this time around. He opened his mouth, another apology ready and almost to his lips, when Riku abruptly stood, yanking him up by the chain around his neck.<p>

He jumped to obey, following Riku, head down, but eyes not low enough to miss a few of the appreciative stares directed their way as they made a beeline for the exit.

Oh god, what had he done that had induced Riku to want to leave already? Where had he gone wrong?

Sora hardly felt the cold as he quickened his pace, following Riku back to his car. He turned the heater on more out of habit than conscious thought this time. All he knew was they were going home, and it was somehow his fault. When nothing initially happened, Sora hazarded a glance Riku's way.

One moment he was frightened, the next a moan was being pulled from his throat as the older one lunged at him, pulling him into a hard kiss. "Rikuuuu," Sora moaned, the moment he felt the friction of an expert hand on his lap, cupping the hard-on that was still confined in tight little shorts.

And then it was over, almost before it had started. Sora felt more than saw the coat being draped over his lap as Riku sped out of the parking lot. Slowly, he pulled it upward, covering bare shoulders and even the bottom of his chin. They sat in silence together as Riku raced his car presumably back to the dorms.

What had he done, what had he done?

It wasn't until they had parked that Sora took a moment to be brave, looking at Riku from beneath thick lashes, head still bowed submissively throughout.

"I'm sorry," he offered again in a small voice, shoulders curved inward beneath the coat. "I didn't mean to…to ruin the night for you. I'm sorry."

o - o

"Ruin?" Riku asked, turning to Sora.

Apparently that kiss hadn't been enough to show the brunette what had actually been going through his mind inside of the club. He shook his head, still too distracted to do anything but show, and his pants were already so painfully tight that he didn't think he could start a conversation just then. So he didn't; he opened his door indicating that Sora do the same and hurried them back across campus to Riku's room.

They walked in silence, Riku refusing to slow down for so much as a gasp to make its way from Sora's lips to his ears in the cold night air. However, the moment that the dorm room door was closed he had his boyfriend pinned to the wall, and began kissing him deeply, hands wandering everywhere he could reach before pulling back.

"I couldn't wait anymore," he admitted before taking another step back, his chest rising and falling faster than he would've allowed it were he more in control of himself.

Using the metal leash around Sora's neck, he led his boyfriend to his bed before leaning back onto the mattress in front of his standing friend. His smirk began toying with one corner of his lips as he eyed the standing body, arousal easy to see even after the car ride and the walk over. Never mind that Riku was still aroused, that wasn't the point right then. The point was that Sora was still wearing his collar.

"That doesn't mean you get to stop, though," he announced. "Now," he began in his most commanding tone of voice, "strip."

He wasn't sure how much more teasing he could take, but this was an order he couldn't resist. Still, while Sora was distracted, Riku took advantage of it by unbuttoning and unzipping his leather pants, alleviating at least a little bit of the pressure at his groin.

o - o

Relief was the first feeling that washed over Sora, the moment they arrived back in Riku's room, door closing and locking affirmatively behind them.

He dropped the coat immediately as Riku pressed him into the wall, and hands roaming his body elicited soft moans whenever Riku wasn't silencing them with his own eager mouth. Pinned by the shoulders, Sora's range of motion was limited, but he was still able to slide his hands over Riku's hips, practically begging for the two of them to be closer.

A moment later, the chain was being pulled again, and Sora followed it to Riku's bed, a confused expression gracing his features.

Riku wanted him to…strip? As in, put on a show, or just take off his clothing? Sora had no idea, no concept of what was acceptable or not in this situation. He stared at Riku a little longer, mouth slightly agape, before turning to look down at his own skimpy get-up.

He took in a shuddering breath and slowly ran a tentative hand down his shorts, stopping just before he could brush over the heat and the obvious location it was coming from. Eyes darting back to Riku questioningly, Sora felt himself flush at the realization that Riku's pants had already been undone.

Slowly, shyly, Sora removed his shirt, unclasping the chain at its side, then slipping it up and over the collar still bound to his neck. He let the flimsy material dangle a moment, before sliding it down the chain and into Riku's hands, letting him dispose of it however he liked. Then, shoes, one by one, as Sora bent down to untie them before standing up, face red at the realization that the only things left were the wrist clasps, his collar, and the shorts.

He was shivering, from a combination of arousal and cold, both. It was perhaps why Sora's fingers trembled, hesitating at the edge of the fabric by his abdomen, one hand shyly hovering over his obvious erection. Taking another deep breath, Sora pulled downward, allowing the material to slide from his thighs to his ankles before stepping out.

For a moment, he stood in front of Riku, completely exposed, face burning with a melange of embarrassment and desire. Unable to look Riku directly in the eyes, Sora's gaze lowered, down to Riku's own undone leather pants.

He looked up once, almost beseechingly, then down again at Riku's lap. Sora took a step forward, then stopped himself, remembering this game they were playing and the rules behind it. "Master," he said, his voice no higher than a whisper, eyes lingering downward, this time with purpose.

"C-can I…?"

o - o

The word 'master' was entirely unnecessary, but… it was strange how that word in combination with those wide, slightly fearful blue eyes could hit him. Besides, it wasn't as though he could do what he wanted tonight since Sora was, well, he was a virgin where it really mattered as far as Riku was concerned, and that meant waiting.

He was having a remarkably hard time not just dropping his jaw and staring as it was. Sora was so hot, and now he stood naked, leashed, and still cuffed almost ready to be tied up. A violent shudder went through Riku's body just imagining that. So when it came time for him to answer the question posed to him, there was no way he was going to open his mouth at first and betray the roiling going on beneath the surface.

However, the idea of just letting it happen was entirely unappealing after the games they'd just been playing at the club. Then, remembering how Sora's tongue had felt against his bare torso, and how those blue eyes had looked up at him…

"If you think you can do it without leaving a mess behind," Riku began, trying to regain the composure he'd somehow managed at the club, "then, yes."

God, the brunette had done a good enough job turning him on at the club, could it… could he get better? And then he wondered, _will he be unimpressed with me if I lose it too quickly_? His stamina was stretched practically to his breaking point already, and he was losing it really fast as it was. Would Sora like him less for that?

No, he could hold it long enough to… for… he could manage. He would.

o - o

"I'll do my best," Sora replied, eyes locking on Riku's for the briefest of moments, trying to look more confident than he actually felt.

A strange thrill of excitement and nerves rushed through him at the realization of what he was about to do.

At least he could hide between Riku's legs, he figured, keep himself less exposed that way while he…_well_.

Shyly, Sora inched his way forward, toward Riku, between his legs. Face still flushed as he looked down at the obvious sign of his arousal, Sora lowered himself to his knees in front of Riku, hands on both leather-clad thighs as he steadied himself.

Riku had already undone his pants button and zipper, so Sora reached out, gently touching the tight skin of Riku's penis almost experimentally with a couple of fingers. The realization that Riku hadn't been wearing underwear either shot a fresh jolt of heat into his own lap as he tentatively took Riku's erection into his hands, and began to stroke.

He'd never touched another guy's cock before, definitely had never given head to anyone with anything to really give it to. Going down on a girl was probably boatloads different than what he was considering doing now.

His face was so close, lips not far off as Sora breathed in Riku's strong scent of arousal. He was surprised how much he liked it, how much he wanted to increase the experience through touch and taste.

He looked up at Riku for a moment, hands moving upward at the same time to touch his boyfriend's chest, then sliding lower to his stomach and the sensitive skin of his abdomen. Even sitting the way he was, Riku's stomach was nearly flat, muscles tight and flexing as he reacted to every little movement on Sora's part. Hopefully he wouldn't expect Sora to use his fingers, the brunet thought silently. It'd been amazing when Riku had done it to him, but as far as fingering went, Sora didn't have a fucking clue what to do in that regard.

Or what to do when Riku came…

Shoving the worrisome thought aside, Sora opened his mouth, his small, inquisitive tongue lapping gently near the underside of Riku's head. The tight cock skin was hot on his tongue, and unconsciously Sora let a small sound of excited surprise escape his lips in the process. A hand slipped back to Riku's base, as though to steady himself.

Then, still tentative, but definitely eager to please, Sora leaned forward, engulfing the top of Riku's cock into the moist cavern of his mouth.

o - o

He almost laughed when Sora answered him in that unsure voice that had obviously forgotten the role he was supposed to be playing here. '_I'll do my best_'? No, a slave would say, '_Yes, master_,' or something like that. Riku didn't want to punish the brunette for being unsure though. He wanted Sora to come back after this.

Besides, he was starting to feel very impatient. The tentative movements, first when his friend lowered himself between his legs then when he leaned forward and began to touch him, were turning him on more than he thought they would.

Then a shy hand began gripping him before a hot, wet tongue slid against his overly sensitive skin, making Riku groan despite himself. Oh, god. Would he be able to pull off his usual stoic silence tonight? Sora had never touched him like this before, and it was… more amazing than he'd ever imagined it would be. It was so amazing that he couldn't help moaning when the brunette's wet mouth finally slid around him, and he felt his upper body tremble almost to the point of giving out, forcing him to lean back further against the bed.

Then another moan as every tiny sensation began lighting his nerves on fire. How long had it been since he'd had anyone sucking him off while he was sober? Long enough that this felt almost new again, like Riku had never done it before. It was strange to be experienced but still be feeling things as though for the first time. Amazing might be a better word.

"Ah, Sora, nnn!"

Maybe it was okay to talk when it was Sora's mouth touching him. He'd mostly been quiet before anyways to avoid calling people by the wrong name, always fantasizing that it was someone else's mouth on him, someone else's hands running down his naked body… Sora's hands. Now it was his friend touching him, and he didn't know exactly how to handle that. So Riku let go, letting himself stare down into wide blue eyes and letting his hand stroke the soft brown hair and smooth skin of the brunette's face. Most of all, he let himself moan, which he hadn't done much of in a very, very long time.

o - o

He was nervous, even scared that he'd be doing something wrong. That he'd in someway not live up to Riku's expectations.

If there was anything Sora was frightened of beyond reason, it was Riku's displeasure when he was trying to make him feel just the opposite.

The moans started slowly, pulled almost reluctantly from his friend's throat. Each one drove Sora further, made him move a little faster, his mouth sliding up and down, one hand at Riku's base mimicking the movement immediately above.

He liked the taste, Sora decided. Riku's taste. The scent brought back memories, of vacations on the beach, of sweaty sports played together. This was stronger, more definite in its declaration of identity, but maybe that's what made it better in Sora's mind. It was definitely more intimate, to say the least.

When a strong, tangy flavor met his tongue a moment later, Sora hesitated, assuming Riku was close and for the first time freezing up a little, anticipating his friend's release. A gentle hand brought him back, calmed him down, as it tangled in his own spiky hair, traveling down to the rise of his cheekbone a moment later.

Sora looked up, looked at Riku, adoration plain in his eyes. It wasn't an act this time; the feelings were real. Then gradually, he increased the speed of his mouth, his tongue and hand in tandem, encouraging Riku to release at his pleasure. All the while, blue eyes never left aquamarine, as three silent words passed through Sora's mind.

One day, they'd change everything. For now, it was enough that he was thinking them in this context at all.

o - o

Sora was driving him over the edge easily, no effort seemed to be needed to make Riku get to the place he was going; the edge of coming in his friend's willing, hot, wet mouth. Not that the brunette wasn't putting any effort in, that wasn't it at all. It was just that his friend - no, boyfriend, he reminded himself - didn't have to do much more than look at Riku with those wide, alluring blue eyes that spoke of want and… and something else. Riku could almost believe, maybe he actually did in that moment, that Sora wasn't disgusted at having his lips around another man's hard, weeping cock.

His fingers tightened in spiked brunette hair, and it took every ounce of self-control he could muster not to press his boyfriend's head down and hold it in his lap while he pounded into that moist mouth.

"Nnnng, Sora!"

Riku sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, but then released it immediately not wanting to look weak in front of those adoring, blue eyes. And why did they look up at him with such reverence? How could they?

He didn't care how, only that they did. His Sora, his, was naked and on his knees tasting Riku's body and… and liking it? Oh, shit. That was the thought that sent him over the edge, and he did his best to shout a warning before the last spasm wracked his body, tightening all of his muscles just in time to release them again. Trying to loosen his grip on the brunette's hair, he felt his back arch slightly as he bucked towards those lips, his body finally getting the better of him.

o - o

Don't make a mess, don't make a mess.

Riku's words came back to him initially, tensing Sora up, instilling a sense of anxiety in the younger boy almost by default.

He'd never done this before, never really done anything more than gently touch, sometimes stealing looks in the past few weeks that he'd seen Riku naked.

But god, the taste. God, the scent of Riku's arousal. There was something beautiful, so incredibly intimate about what he was doing. It was hot too, he supposed, but that wasn't the main feeling that was welling up into his chest, that was being unconsciously conveyed through the expression in his eyes.

He hadn't expected to like the bitter taste that was now leaking from Riku's slit. And yet…it was Riku, undeniably Riku. He recognized it in the bitterness, the unrelenting flavor.

Sora stopped in his stroking movements for a moment, slid his tongue curiously across Riku's slit.

That's when Riku cried out, when his first release shot into Sora's unprepared mouth. He let the warm liquid linger a moment too long before swallowing, catching another release unprepared. Surprised, he opened his mouth, just slightly, but it was enough. A dribble of Riku's come slid down his chin, to his throat and onto his chest.

Sora swallowed, feeling the heat in his throat and chest a moment later, caught the third and final release more prepared. This last one he savored, rolling the salty fluid around in his mouth almost experimentally before looking up at Riku, visibly swallowing with relish.

There was something about the bitterness, something about the salt that just tasted right, that simply spoke of Riku to Sora. It made his own arousal ache in the open air as Sora remained kneeling between Riku's legs.

But he'd still made a slight mess, something he'd been told not to do. "Sorry," he whispered, breath caressing Riku's lap.

Shyly, Sora attempted to clean up the dribble from his chest with his fingers, secondarily wiping the mess from his chin onto the back of one hand. He licked it daintily, a light flush still heating up his cheeks as he watched Riku carefully, trying to interpret the expression and what it might mean from those fathomless depths of aquamarine.

o - o

There was something hot about seeing someone else suck you off, swallow you whole, and sometimes even in seeing your own fluids dribbling down their chin. However, those particular eyes, that particular mouth, and this particular chin… if Riku could come again, he was damn sure he would have just from watching Sora right now. As it was, he already felt an ache in his body for another round.

Those blue eyes were apologetic, and not only did he swallow everything but he licked up what had slipped out. Riku wanted to attack him more than ever. Instead, he smirked, leaning forward before the hot breath hitting his exposed body could make him entirely hard again and grabbing Sora by the waist. He lifted and turned the brunette until they stood facing one another before pushing his boyfriend onto the bed, and crawling after him.

"You really don't know how hot you are, do you?" he asked, but cut off any response with a rough kiss.

As he kissed Sora, he took both of the brunette's hands into his, pressing them over his boyfriend's head until they reached his headboard. It wasn't much of one, but these hands could reach and the cuffs Sora still had on could be attached to it from here. Breaking the kiss long enough to see what he was doing, Riku secured the brunette's hands to the post before kissing him deeply one last time and sliding down his body toward the edge of the bed, his tongue leaving a trail on the way down.

What he wanted to do, and what he had planned were two totally different things now. Riku did not want to scare his new lover away with what he wanted though, and he didn't think Sora was quite ready for it, not yet. No, this was partly about preparing him, and partly about repaying him.

So after a moment's hesitation, during which he made sure to breathe heavily onto Sora's exposed arousal (since his heart was still pounding from Sora having gotten him off), Riku slid the brunette's erection between his nimble fingers, one hand reaching for the bottle of lube he kept nearby for just such occasions.

As soon as he had the bottle open and available, his mouth slid forward, aquamarine eyes focused on blue as he let his tongue trace over that little vein he could see beneath skin that was stretched tight and hot around the brunette's arousal. He made sure to press his tongue into Sora's slit hard as he reached the tip before sliding it down the other side and back up again. Riku was teasing, but he knew what he was doing, too. The entire time he busied his tongue with his boyfriend's cock, his hands were busy with the lube.

He wanted Sora to associate this feeling with good things so… slick hands slid between the brunette's legs as his tongue continued to tease, pressing his boyfriend's legs up and slipping along the seam of his ass. Then, just before he finally slipped Sora between his lips, Riku began to prepare the brunette to be entered. This time, he intended on using more fingers, getting his boyfriend ready for things to come.


	17. Chapter 17: Breaking in a Quick Study

**A/N**: Finally, done!

With this chapter/section, I mean. We've still got another three-part chunk left before I have to figure out how to wrap this up. 'Cause, yeah, I do think I'll at least take a stab at giving this story some sort of resolution/epilogue. Rejoice.

But first, for anyone who wants some good LGBT film recs, Netflix instant watch offers the following worthy options:

1) "The Wise Kids" - For a low budget film about growing up LGBT in the South (something I, ahem, have personal experience with), this is a quietly gorgeous film. It follows three friends from a close-knit Baptist church community as they prepare to leave for college. One of them is also coming to terms with his sexuality at the same time. This type of story could easily run afoul of half a dozen stereotypes about religion, region, and LGBTs. Yet it approaches each with a sensitivity that I found really refreshing.

2) "G.B.F." - Stands for Gay Best Friend. It's basically "Mean Girls", but gayer. Think that kind of slapstick comedy and don't take yourself too seriously while watching it ...with popcorn. Because it's a popcorn kind of movie.

You're welcome. Now back to your regularly scheduled SoRiku mush/smutfest.

* * *

><p>Crushing lips, purring declarations.<p>

Riku thought he was hot? He was turned on by more than what Sora could do to him? By Sora himself?

Involuntarily, Sora moaned into Riku's mouth and Riku entered, teasing the muscle he found there, caressing it with his own tongue in a way that had begun to make Sora writhe, bare hips sliding against those still leather-clad save for the undone button and zipper above him.

He almost didn't notice his own arms being raised above him, probably wouldn't have at all if Riku hadn't broken their kiss.

By the time Sora figured out what was happening, his wrists were already cuffed in place, rendering him immobile, flat on his back on Riku's bed.

He raised his head in surprise, taking in the length of his own exposed body, from the lean, slender torso, on down to the erection in his lap, an obvious sign of arousal that was aching even though freed of its previous confines.

Riku's lips were wet, were hungry against his skin, and Sora moaned again, enjoying the sensation, silently begging them to go elsewhere. And elsewhere they went, as Riku teased and touched around the base of his cock, then up to his tip. Although he did jump slightly at the feeling of slippery hands between his legs, this time the sensation merely served as the catalyst for another moan.

Last time had felt weird, but then last time had ended so well. Sora had never felt anything like what Riku had made him feel before Thanksgiving break. Now he was eager for more of the same.

"Riku," he breathed, all pretension of keeping in submissive character banished at the feeling of tight, pleasant sucking around his head. "Mmm, Riku," he repeated, his voice this time throaty and low, an exhale of a trembling breath.

"I want you," he breathed, hips gently rising and falling to match Riku's lips, to press himself deeper within those warm depths, all the while anticipating that finger, the means of giving him his own earth-shattering release. "I …nnngh…I want you in me so bad."

o - o

If Riku let himself think about it, he knew that Sora didn't know what he was saying. The brunette was aroused and seemed to enjoy talking when he was in such a state, at least so far as he had noticed recently, that was. That did not stop Riku from moaning around his boyfriend's erection at the very idea of actually being inside of him, though. God, he was getting hard again just thinking about it!

Obliging the brunette a little, he slid one finger inside of Sora's opening while at the same time sliding his tongue over the slit of his boyfriend's erection. He didn't search for that sweet spot yet, however. Instead, he circled around inside of the smaller young man, stretching and making room for more fingers. It wasn't until after he'd added a second finger, and stretched Sora enough to add a third that he let his fingers brush against the spot his friend would be straining for by now.

His goal was to add four fingers tonight, which would be more than enough to suffice for this one leg of the preparation. It would make Sora's first time so much easier by far than his own had been, if he did it right.

So instead of pressing it outright, he massaged the brunette's sweet spot, rubbing against it and then retreating in a way that would likely drive his friend crazy, but also, he hoped, feel absolutely amazing at the same time. If his mouth hadn't been full, Riku had in mind a number of questions he would have liked to ask his boyfriend. Perhaps he could save them for another time when both of them could be occupied in this way without one man's mouth being so efficiently taken by the other.

o - o

He was ready for the first finger this time, relaxing, welcoming it inside him. It still felt awkward, still felt really weird to have someone stick anything up there, but this time around Sora had prior experience to know that soon it wouldn't matter. Riku just needed to touch him a specific way and…

"Nnn, Riku." A throaty moan was torn from Sora's throat as Riku swirled his tongue over the tip of his penis. "Feels s-so good."

Unconsciously, Sora flexed his arms above his head. The idea of being tied up had never been a real fantasy of his, but now that he couldn't move, with the knowledge that Riku could do virtually anything he wanted to with him, Sora's chest kept tingling with heat, radiating in waves.

The second and third fingers entered in tandem, and his eyes opened wide, felt the discomfort, voicing it in a low, uncomfortable moan. This time, Sora didn't question Riku's motives though. Even though it was beginning to sting a little, his friend's movements were gentle, excruciatingly slow. And still, he hadn't made Sora feel that mind-numbing pleasure he remembered. Without even realizing he was doing it, Sora began to strain a little, his voice reduced to slightly pained whimpers as Riku's fingers spread out within him, slid in, then retreated.

If it hadn't been for the wet pressure of Riku's tongue, Sora might've cried out in true discomfort. As it was, his eyes were beginning to water.

But then, Riku's fingers brushed against…

"Ohhh," Sora shuddered, arousal jerking slightly within Riku's mouth as a white heat spread across his body. Then, it was gone as fingers were moved away, reduced to a pleasant, pulsing warmth.

His friend seemed to hesitate, and Sora found his hips pressing upward, forcing his erection deeper into Riku's mouth. Arms straining above him, the metal cuffs clanged against Riku's bedposts as he did everything in his power to direct Riku's fingers back to that spot. The realization that he was completely immobile from the waist up added to the arousal.

"Again," he panted, light beads of sweat beginning to appear on his forehead. "Please, Riku. Go _deeper_."

o - o

It was Riku's turn to moan again, as Sora began giving him orders. Anyone else would've gotten a sharp reprimand and been teased by all touches being denied them, but this whole situation was so hot that Riku didn't even consider pausing. The brunette was begging, and that had him writhing in his own body, wanting more than anything to actually give in to that request. He could go deeper, but…

Of course, that wasn't what his boyfriend was asking for, just then. He wanted… so Riku gave him what he wanted. Three fingers, in, deeper, and massaging that spot he knew Sora was begging him to reach. Then out and in again, massage, and retreat.

He repeated that formula, sucking gently, teasing with his tongue as he finally added a fourth finger when it felt like his boyfriend was ready for it. He could take this last one, and then as soon as Riku was in far enough he let his fingers press against the spot his friend was straining for him to reach. It was a very good thing that he didn't have much of a gag reflex, because Sora was pressing himself down Riku's throat now. Taking advantage of what would have been an awkward situation with anyone else, he swallowed once, knowing how fucking good it felt for someone to do that around his own cock, before retreating on both ends.

Then he went back in and back down, four fingers in, and listened to Sora's reaction. If the brunette could take this… and enjoy it… there was a good chance he could take Riku, too. If that thought didn't get him fully hard again, there was nothing in existence that could manage it. He moaned around his boyfriend's cock again thinking about what it would be like to have penetrative sex with Sora, but immediately jumped a little at the tight, sharp feeling in his chest that the image created. God, what was that? It felt a little like, maybe a heart attack. Or like the way he'd felt the first time Sora had kissed him…?

Shit, didn't matter… he'd paused everything and the brunette would be disappointed now. Not wanting that, Riku continued, thinking the strangest combination of words that had ever crossed his mind before now. _…but I'm gay. I can't really fall in love that way; can I?_

o - o

Oh god, it hurt. If Sora's eyes had been watering before, tears were streaming down his face unbidden now. He wasn't crying. It just stung so much as Riku filled him with another finger. He wasn't going to stick his entire hand in, was he?

But then a moment later, the heat returned, and he could feel his balls tighten as Riku brushed teasing fingers over a particular spot. At the same time, his hips bucked upward, deep into Riku's throat. The moment he felt Riku's throat constrict against his head in a nice, tight swallow, Sora experienced the ecstasy of pleasure mixed with pain for the first time ever. Even his wrists strained, making the bedframe groan a bit under his frenetic movement.

Back and forth, Riku teased, deep throating him the moment he brushed against the spot within Sora that had him both seeing stars and beginning to leak. Every time he retreated, Sora whimpered, feeling the sting of fingers that had stretched him too far.

And then there was an unusual pause, an agony for Sora as Riku stopped his ministration entirely. It dragged on forever before Sora found himself entered again, sucked off once more, eliciting a low, desperate moan on his part.

"Please," he said. There was no question at all anymore about whether he was rule-breaking. His voice was pleading, begging, no hint of an order in his tone. "Please, I want to c-come. I'm so…nnng, close!"

o - o

Riku felt insistent when he renewed his movements, wanting to give Sora what he was asking for. So he increased his pace, making sure his fingers brushed across that tight bundle of nerves inside the brunette every time they entered him. He sucked harder too, pressing his tongue against the slit of his boyfriend's cock whenever he bobbed up, before taking all of Sora's erection into his mouth and swallowing. There was a pattern to this, and if the brunette didn't come soon, it would be remarkably strange.

Every moan that came from Sora's mouth was echoed in Riku's, who was so turned on at this point that it was taking every ounce of his self-control not to let go of his boyfriend and touch himself. It also took a fair amount of willpower to refrain from standing up and entering Sora's body another way. Not yet… not yet, not yet, not yet, he chanted to himself as the brunette got closer and closer.

He could feel the body underneath him tightening, could hear the moans and words that indicated his boyfriend was getting close, and he took Sora's cock all the way into the back of his throat then, pushing his fingers in as far as was necessary to brush press against that magic button inside of the brunette's body that would have him seeing white.

When his friend finally came, Riku made sure to take his own advice, swallowing Sora whole along with everything the brunette sent shooting into his mouth. He loved being with his new boyfriend in this way, and he let his lips gently slide up Sora's softening erection at the same time that he pulled his hands out of the brunette's body.

First things first now, though. Reaching for the wipes he kept nearby, he made sure to clean off both of his hands before doing anything else. It was about safety now, after all, and it was a habit he had gotten himself into during past encounters with other men. Then he turned back to his boyfriend, and, unwilling to move in any way that would reveal his aroused state, Riku slid around the side of his own bed to release Sora's hands. Then, still on his knees, he leaned forward to kiss the brunette on the mouth. That was not a habit he was in at all, but it seemed very necessary just then, nonetheless.

Pulling away for a moment, he made sure to remark before closing his lips over Sora's once more, "You're so hot."

o - o

Sora was torn, torn between the overwhelming feeling of the orgasm he'd just experienced and the stinging pain that came with it, almost overriding the pleasure entirely as his nerves settled down. His eyes still watering, he watched Riku move around the bed, sliding up just far enough to unlatch the cuffs at his wrists.

It had been Sora's intention to draw Riku closer, to hold his friend to his chest as tightly as possible as he tried to process what had just happened, what it all meant. But Riku's lips found his first and Sora found himself sinking into a gentle, still passionate kiss.

It was over too soon, but another kiss came soon after, following a comment that made Sora's eyes widen a little, surprised at the intensity of the statement.

He allowed the next kiss, but this time as Riku pulled away, Sora caught his friend's shoulders, pulling him back, wrists still encased in leather cuffs, guiding his hands into Riku's hair. His eyes were watering less now, but Sora could still clearly feel tear stains beginning to harden on his face. What was hot about that?

"You keep saying that…" he murmured, voice low, fingers soothing as they kneaded through silver hair.

_I love you_, he thought.

"I'm confused," he said instead, eyes travelling from Riku's face downward, to his tight sleeveless shirt, to leather pants, to…

_Oh_.

Sora's mouth formed the word soundlessly, as he saw evidence of Riku's continued arousal lain bare before his eyes.

Feeling a little daring, and more than a little breathless as the heat hit his own chest again like an electric shock at the sight before him, Sora slid closer to his friend, sitting up on one elbow, suppressing a slight wince at the pain in his backside as he looked slightly down over him.

"Riku, I'm confused," he said again, voice almost petulant, head quirked to one side. "Why do you still have your clothes on?"

A moment later, Sora was leaning forward, lips brushing against Riku's throat, as one hand slid slowly downward and beneath his friend's unzipped vest. It slid over a nipple, retreated back to trace up and around it. Then slowly, deliberately, Sora slid his hand lower.

o - o

Sora was always so damn gentle. Riku didn't know why that frustrated him. Maybe it was because then he felt like he had to be gentle too, even though he wasn't exactly the type of partner who did that sort of thing. He'd never had a partner quite like Sora, though. Perhaps it was okay to be like this with someone you might consider to be a boyfriend; a lover.

That was the difference, right? Sora wasn't just some fuck-buddy meant to get him off and then disappear. He wanted a relationship with Riku, and Riku wanted to oblige him on that… somehow.

The brunette was confused? Riku was fucking confused! What the hell? …wait. But what was his boyfriend confused about? His mind suddenly snapped back into focus, the dazedness he assumed was likely a result of being in that place again; aroused and wanting and forcing himself to be patient. He noticed the tear tracks on Sora's face at the same moment that Sora noticed something about Riku's body. Those drying streaks bothered him more than he would admit, but as soon as the brunette noticed the state his body was in, Riku's thoughts unraveled.

It was strange to feel embarrassed in front of someone. He hadn't blushed in a very, very long time, and yet here tonight he was doing it for the second (was it only the second?) time. Then his friend's daring, almost teasing and definitely straightforward, question. Was that what he'd been confused about?

"Well," Riku gasped, when he was finally able, having forgot all about everything except Sora's hands and mouth now that they were touching him again. "You didn't take them off," he answered. He was unwilling to speak the thought that immediately followed, however, afraid to give the brunette ideas Riku didn't want him to have just then. _You didn't ask me to take them off, either_.

He wasn't sure he would strip for anyone, not even Sora, unless he was asked very nicely. Or maybe if those big blue eyes looked like they wanted to see him do it, words echoing them. God, his mind was wandering. What a waste when Sora's hands were heading so directly for parts of his body that before this month he'd only dreamed of the brunette touching.

Unable to help himself, Riku let out a low moan of anticipation.

o - o

Was this real? Was Riku really going to let him…play a little?

The thought sent a thrill down into Sora's stomach, made him ignore the pain that otherwise would've been embarrassing and blatant.

His hand slid lower, trailing to one side, fluttering against Riku's inner thigh for a moment. He allowed one almost accidental brush with the back of his hand to meet Riku's erection. Nothing more for the time being.

"No," Sora agreed. "I didn't take them off."

His voice was soft, but there was a husky, lustful quality to it that surprised even Sora at its unfamiliar tone.

Carefully, he slid off the bed, to meet Riku on the rug, on the floor beside him. He kissed Riku again, one hand lingering at the open fly of Riku's pants, the other sliding behind his friend's neck to pull him in deeper. It was Sora's tongue that entered Riku's mouth first this time, gently caressing the muscle it discovered within.

Then out, then kisses at his neck and throat before speaking again.

"As a pet, I didn't think it'd be allowed."

Before Riku could say anything, Sora moved both hands to his chest, meeting between the unparted shirt for just a moment, before slowly sliding it off his shoulders, down his arms.

Then his mouth was back on Riku, kissing gently, almost tentatively in the dip of his friend's shoulder.

_I love you. I love you._

Wet kisses downward, Sora kept his pace slow, exploring as much of Riku's skin as possible. Gently grazing teeth found a nipple at the moment two small hands wrapped around Riku's length, beginning the first stroke upward.

_Riku, I love you._

And then, just as suddenly, Sora stopped, pulled slightly away. Blue eyes, tear streaked cheeks, regarded his friend before him. He bit his lower lip, as though contemplating something, expression changing only once he'd come to a decision.

"Riku, stand up," Sora said, voice soft but resolute. This time it was he who was giving an order. "I want to see all of you."

o - o

He had never been at anyone's mercy, ever… that he wanted to remember… before now. Riku never thought he would enjoy that. Well, in fairness, part of him did not like it at all, but the larger part, the part that was even more aroused by this playfulness Sora was displaying, was feeling a warming sort of pleasant tightening in his chest as he watched and felt the brunette explore his own body.

Actually, Riku was pretty damn sure that no one had touched him like this before.

Sora kept surprising him, sliding a curious tongue into an all too willing mouth that had been momentarily stunned by the brunette's actions. Then his boyfriend was undressing him, sending a little shiver through his chest and down his spine, as those soft, gentle lips began to skim the skin of his shoulder. Funny, Riku didn't remember that spot being so damn sensitive before.

Despite the sensations that were attacking his body, Riku managed a smirk at Sora's mention of how he should behave as a slave. "You wouldn't have been," he confirmed, voice only sounding slightly tighter than it usually did. Which may or may not have been as a result of teeth sliding over his nipple.

A moment later he groaned, pleasure assaulting his body in the form of Sora's hands around his cock. Leaning into that touch, Riku was slightly frustrated when the brunette stopped, but his usual smirk reappeared a moment later.

"Do you?" he asked Sora. "Hrmmm… I thought you already had."

His teasing remarks didn't stop Riku from standing however, reaching down to peel off the skin-tight leather pants that he was currently working up a sweat in… again. The hands that reached up to help him were a surprise, but aquamarine eyes didn't linger on them for very long. Instead, he behaved as though everything Sora did was unsurprising to him; something expected. It might have been a bad habit he'd formed so that no one would be able to see Riku feeling uncomfortable in any situation, but it was also a sort of dare.

_Do something to really catch me off my guard, Sora, I dare you._

Perhaps it wasn't the best time for him to think those words, however, for it was then that two things Riku did not expect happened at the same time. The first was a shockingly vivid memory of the first time he'd ever kissed Sora, on a dare while drunk and surrounded by a bunch of their friends. Riku would be mortified if anyone ever found out that this single kiss, something entirely innocent on both boys' parts when they were younger, was often the picture he had in his mind while masturbating as a teenager. He never could figure out what about it suited his fantasies, but it had, still sometimes did, nevertheless. The second was the feeling of lips on his erection.

It wasn't that having someone's mouth on his cock while he was hard was any sort of surprise really, but never before had anyone just… kissed him there. Now, Sora did this gently, as though … almost… maybe worshipping his body in a way. At least, that helped him come to some sort of terms with what was going on. Riku didn't even notice the moan that had crawled up his throat when those teasing lips had kissed the tip, but his fingers had threaded themselves, almost as though they had a mind of their own, in Sora's hair.

"God, Sora…" he moaned again.

o - o

God, Sora?

How about god, _Riku_?

Eyes wide open, Sora took in his friend, from his defined abdominals to the curve of muscular arms. The kisses along his length had simply been a result of the intense feelings that had overcome him at the sight.

He'd closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the scent, the taste. They opened again to regard Riku as more words tumbled out of his mouth. "I love this," Sora said. "You're so perfect." Expression reverent, eyes never leaving Riku's, Sora opened his mouth, tongue venturing out to lick the underside of Riku's erection. Then, only for a moment, Sora closed his mouth over Riku's head, sucking gently, lapping the tart flavor from Riku's last release, finding it increasingly agreeable every time he got more accustomed to it.

With a wet smack, Sora released him, straightening up on his knees a few inches more. He placed sucking kisses on Riku's abdomen, fingers tracing the base of his friend's stiff penis.

Then more and more, he wanted to explore, one hand sliding beneath Riku, fondling the sensitive skin just underneath, and with another another hand squeezing his friend's ass, mimicking the action Riku had performed now on him a few times before. Inquisitively, his fingers began sliding slightly beneath the fold of his seam.

And all the while, Sora watched, then kissed, then watched some more. "Riku," he breathed, nearly breathless himself with excitement. "Tell me what you want."

o - o

Riku felt his body go stiff, freezing up as Sora's hand ventured where he swore… he swore no one would touch him there again. Not after… he shut his eyes tight against the memory that might finish that thought.

This was so gentle though; so… almost… loving. It was silly of him to be tensing up over something that actually felt good. What did he want, though? Riku didn't know. He wanted Sora to stop touching him there. _He wanted Sora_. He wanted all of the brunette, every single inch of his boyfriend's body to be his own. It was the first thought that popped into his head, and he tightened his jaw against saying them out loud. These thoughts were just weird things his mind was spitting out while he was aroused and distracted by wandering hands.

"I…" his usually glib tongue began to fail him, unable to think of anything else except where Sora's other hand was playing as Riku's body began to tremble. "…want…" He didn't realize that his hands had closed into fists.

Focus on the words he was saying. It was Sora. Sora loved his body; his Riku's body. That was a huge deal. It made him want to do anything and everything the brunette asked of him. It almost made Riku want to be his boyfriend's slave. He was already a slave to those hands, and those blue eyes that looked up at him as though he was something special, instead of something tainted, wrong, and dirty.

"I don't know," he finally blurted, body trembling and eyes watering without his fucking permission. "I don't know what I want."

o - o

Sora could have imagined any number of reactions or responses from Riku. Some might be sarcastic, some just plain sexy. Maybe he'd take back control. Maybe he'd tell Sora to suck him off again.

What Sora hadn't expected was indecision and…something else written plainly but still uninterpretable across his friend's face.

Surprised, Sora stopped the exploratory path of his fingers, noting the tension in Riku's body. Slowly, he stood, looking up at his friend intently. Riku was holding something back, although what it was Sora could not truly guess.

"Did I…do something wrong?" His voice was quiet, back to tentative.

And yet…how could he have, considering he'd only been copying Riku's actions from earlier?

Unthinking, Sora moved forward, arms outstretched, pulling Riku into an almost crushing hug. He could feel Riku's erection press into his stomach, but Sora didn't care, just wanted to feel Riku's body against his.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I just wanted to make you feel good."

Lips pressed against Riku's collarbone, Sora found himself murmuring, lessening his grip on Riku as he felt a swell of heat hit his chest.

"Just tell me what you want." A deep sigh, hot breath against his friend's neck. "I promise I'll do anything…"

And it was the truth. When it came to Riku, Sora had no limits.

o - o

"Anything?" Riku asked, momentarily distracted from his dilemma. Sora had let up, released him from the intensity of the previous feeling. It made him feel warmth for the brunette that was strange even to him. Of course, it didn't occur to him what he might ask when given that particular offer until a moment later when he could think again. His lips lifted into a devious look that was not at all his usual. It was a shadow of his typical smirk, but he tried to play it off as something playful anyways.

He didn't feel as aroused anymore, though. The reasons for his hesitation, the fear, had driven the idea from his mind when he panicked. Riku would have to work to get back to that, and strangely he had no desire to do so.

His naked skin felt warmed by Sora's though, and the ideas that still filled his mind, one of the kind of thing he was slowly preparing the brunette's body for, made his body hot. It was about then that he remembered his boyfriend's last words, and abruptly came back to himself. He was the one in control now, as he should be. Except now that he wasn't really in the mood anymore, what should he order Sora to do?

He took an experimental step forward, pressing the brunette towards his bed until the back of his boyfriend's legs were pressed against the mattress. A gentle push sent the brunette sprawling onto his back for a moment before Riku leaned over him to tug the blanket free.

"Just relax," he said, the usual commanding tones back in his voice. "You wanted a study break, and I think we've had one. Did you enjoy it?"

o - o

He had done something wrong, that much Sora knew. It wasn't so much in Riku's actions as it was in what he hadn't done this time. Was he just tired, maybe? They _had_ had a long night. It just didn't seem to fit though. Hadn't Riku been really into what he'd been doing until a second ago? Sora knew he had.

Still, he didn't want to push it, didn't want Riku snapping at him. Not after what they'd just shared together.

He allowed himself to be pushed to the bed, suddenly shy of his own exposed body as Riku stared downward. Quickly, Sora pulled the bedsheet over his lap, listening intently to Riku's words and trying to stifle a blush that was rising up into his neck.

"Yeah, I think I did," he said, answering Riku's question. "The club was a little…weird," he continued, hesitating a little, "but with you it was definitely fun. Did I do okay for my first time?" A devilish smile had appeared at the thought.

"And…can I take these things off now?" Sora asked, cuffed wrists displayed for Riku to see. He figured the collar was pretty self-explanatory on its own.

For a moment, they just seemed to stare at each other, Sora on his back, Riku handsomely fierce, still nude above him. It'd been a long time since Sora had seen Riku naked like this, and definitely not in an intimate context at all. He had so many feelings for Riku, not all of them involving what had just occurred in his room tonight. Sora wasn't sure if he could explain all of them even if he was thinking more clearly.

"Riku…"

His voice was soft this time, eyes searching out his friend's above him. "Will you lay down with me?" Sora asked, moving in toward the wall to provide his friend room. The idea of holding each other, bare skin pressing close, seemed perfect to Sora right now.

He let out a deep sigh before slowly closing his eyes. "You're still too far away…"


	18. Chapter 18: Telltale Signs I

**A/N**: First off, thanks to everyone who's been reviewing. I seriously love seeing peoples' responses to each chapter and it helps reinforce my decision to start back up publishing these final sections written all the way back in 2011. That, and I totally got to meet one of you readers offline for lunch last week, and that wouldn't have been possible if I'd never returned to this story. He knows who he is. And he happens to be awesome. It's official: Soriku brings people together. ;)

Anyway, I really wanted to be able to incorporate this party scene and intersect it with the final chapter of Bereaved (which took place in a club before everything went to hell in that storyline), but...meh, the timing just didn't work out since this is after finals week and Bereaved's timeline put that scene at the end of the first week of November. Oh well. I have an idea for the Truth or Dare epilogue that'll give Bereaved readers an idea of how one character from that fic fared after college, at any rate. That'll have to do. Anyway, this is the final section written a few years back, and it's a three-parter. Prepare yourselves.

* * *

><p>Finals had hit them hard. Now it was time to party and let off some steam before having to go home for the holidays and deal with their parents. The actual party was Sora's idea, though. If it had been up to Riku, after a week without much play and a ton of stress, he would have just taken the brunette back to his dorm and bent him over the side of his…<p>

"Riku," a male voice purred in his ear.

Spinning around to see who had invaded his personal space without his permission, Riku grabbed the offending person by the neck. As soon as he recognized Ralph, however, he let go, making the other man widen his eyes in surprise. After all, if Riku had been happy to see him, he would've held on, tightening his grip until Ralph begged him to let up. They had a game they played when they were together, but that was before Sora had entered the picture.

"Hey, Ralph," Riku answered, crossing his arms in front of him as he looked at the other guy.

A quick glance of aquamarine eyes showed a slightly less showy slave outfit than he'd ever seen the other man in, but that had to mostly be for the benefit of guys who would beat him senseless just for being gay if they got him alone. Actually, come to think of it, that outfit at this school was just asking for trouble.

"What are you doing," Riku finally asked, taking in Ralph's appearance. "You looking for a beating or what?"

"If you want to give me one," Ralph purred, "then I'm looking for whatever you've got."

Riku rolled his eyes. It was hard not to when the other guy got desperate like this. Then again, there had been times that he'd taken complete advantage of that desperation, too. Those were the nights he'd actually called him 'Sora.'

"I don't have anything for you," Riku countered. "Sorry. You better watch your back though. That outfit, this place… you're asking for trouble, you know."

If he had been paying attention, Riku might have been taken aback by the hurt in Ralph's eyes, but he turned away just then to search the crowd for Sora. There were too many brunette heads in the crowd for him to be sure which might belong to his new boyfriend, and his brunette's favorite hairstyle seemed to have become popular with a lot of college guys this year. Damnit. It had been Sora's idea to meet here instead of Riku's dorm room. Maybe he'd guessed Riku's intensions if they met there. He damn well wouldn't have ventured out into public, that was for sure.

"So you've found someone else, then?"

It wasn't the question so much as the tone of Ralph's voice that caught Riku's attention, and he turned his eyes down to see the look on his previous fuck-buddy's face just then. It was almost like he'd just broken up with him, or something. What the hell? Ralph knew what this was from the beginning, and it wasn't like he was even Riku's only play partner or anything, which was something else the other man had been aware of. Odd.

"I didn't find someone else, Ralph. I had someone else. He just… finally came around, that's all. I've got a … uh, a boyfriend now."

Riku tried to shrug it off as though it wasn't a big deal, but it was hard to play it like that when those blue eyes he had worked so hard on imagining belonged to Sora widened with such incredulity. Of course, Sora just had to pick that exact moment to let Riku fucking find him in the crowd. Not wanting to lose the brunette, he began walking past Ralph to grab hold of him, muttering a quick, "Gotta run, see you around," before slipping past to get to his boyfriend.

o - o

He couldn't be sure he'd gotten an A in math after that nightmare of a final, but at the moment, Sora really couldn't be bothered to care about it. Two more days, and they'd be home. A week and a half and he could begin panicking as grades started coming in. Until then, Sora just really wanted to relax, and that meant an end of the year party. And Riku.

The fact that Kairi and two friends happened to be leaving for the same party at the same time hadn't really been anticipated, but she'd seemed eager enough to forget the confrontation they'd had from a week before, especially after having taken in Sora's outfit for the evening.

He was in his typical slightly baggy jeans, but Sora'd actually had time to buy a few new shirts in the past week in between study sessions and final exams. And they were different from his usual style, to say the least. It was a subtle difference, nothing really earth shattering for him. But the shirts were tighter, more form-fitting than what he usually wore.

Riku seemed to prefer things like this, and Sora was only too happy to try to make his boyfriend look twice, or at least with some level of appreciation, in his direction. The shirt he'd chosen for tonight was simple, a basic black fabric with a dark gray silhouette of San Francisco's cityscape across the front. It highlighted the slight broadening in his chest, the narrow flatness of his stomach and waist.

And when Kairi looked at him, there was hesitation there too, and a giggled whisper from one friend to the other as they headed out. That was…weird, he supposed, but Sora didn't know these friends of hers as well as ones from their hometown. No point in worrying about something he didn't feel like figuring out, with people he didn't feel like getting to know at the moment.

The party was at a local frat house, and quite packed already by the time they arrived. No way in hell was Sora going to get as drunk as he had at the last frat party. Just a drink or two, he figured. That'd make the night more enjoyable, make his time with Riku more exciting, he figured.

What he hadn't accounted for was a strong, possessive hand wrapping around his waist, drawing him up against tight jeans. He hadn't even seen Riku approach. Sora opened his mouth, a surprised expression on his face, intent on warning Riku that he had come with others.

It was too late though, as both boys turned, Kairi's shocked expression, mouth open, almost mimicked Sora's for a moment before she managed to compose herself. Behind her, her two friends weren't quite as quick to compose themselves, expressions of shock written plainly on their faces.

"Ri-Riku, hi," she said, obviously trying to act nonchalant. Seemingly of their own volition though, her eyes seemed to be drawn to the arm curled around Sora's waist. A blush was creeping into her cheeks, as she raised her eyes back up to the pair, her gaze falling somewhere in between them.

"Are you guys a…couple? Now? Or something…?" The question was quiet, almost lost in the din of music and conversation around them. It didn't seem judgmental this time to Sora though. Just confused. Maybe a little sad.

o - o

Riku was about to point out to Sora that it would have been much better had they stayed in his damn dorm room for the night instead of showing up to a packed frat party. He was also about to compliment the brunette on his new shirt. Riku had certainly never seen anything this form-fitting on his boyfriend before. It looked pretty damn hot, to say the least. There were a lot of things he was about to do, one of which might have included his mouth on Sora's exposed neck, but then he heard Kairi's voice. Before he could stop himself, Riku made a noise somewhere between a growl and a groan, turning his aquamarine eyes onto her, immediately going on the defensive.

As much as he wanted to snap an answer back at her about how him and Sora were a couple and what was it to her anyway… he stopped, realizing it wasn't his right to out his friend in that way. So he pretended he hadn't heard what she'd said instead. It seemed safer that way. He wasn't about to do anything to upset his boyfriend, just then, especially considering all of the effort he was putting forth to keep Sora interested in him.

"What?" he said, raising his voice as though he was affected by the music and letting go of the brunette he had grabbed around the waist.

There was not a more tempting waist in the entire room, as far as Riku was concerned, and he wanted his hands around it again before anyone else touched his boyfriend. It was going to kill him if Sora told Kairi that they weren't a couple, and he had to pretend for the entire evening that they were just the closest of friends. Well, they kind of were now, but that wasn't how Kairi would see it, he was sure.

Would she run off to their parents and spread the 'good news,' or would she keep it to herself? She'd kept Riku's secret so far, but that was because up until now she'd been the one who had won the prize, so to speak. Now that the tables were somewhat turned… what would she do? Riku didn't exactly see her as the charitable type. She was more like the Christmas Grinch, stealing things right out from under people's noses whenever she thought she could get away with it.

He didn't even notice another brunette that had followed him over, eavesdropping on the whole thing, but for now standing silently in the background.

o - o

For a brief moment, Sora wondered if Riku was going to kill Kairi. A second later, he was wondering if Riku would be willing to kill him…for at that moment, Sora decided it just wasn't right to always have to be hiding things, especially from Kairi. They'd been best friends since childhood. It wasn't okay to just lie outright. Especially if it was something he wasn't ashamed of.

So he didn't.

Stepping forward just slightly, Sora nodded. "Yeah," he said, a tentative smile on his face. "I think that pretty much sums it up."

His friend's face went slack, eyes widening with shock at the plainness of his words.

"But…"

Sora watched her, keeping silent, not wanting to interrupt. Kairi looked down, as though trying to grasp at words. "But you've always dated girls," she said, her voice so low Sora had to lean forward to catch the words. She looked up then. "Isn't this bad, Sora?" she asked, ignoring Riku completely now. "It's going to be the end of your professional future if your parents find out, at least."

"That's why you can't tell them," Sora blurted, eyes open, voice beseeching. "Please, Kai, don't. You know how badly Riku's dad would react. I don't want to get him in trouble while I'm trying to figure things out myself…"

Kairi looked so uncertain, so small all of a sudden. At that moment, Sora realized what a shitty position he was forcing her into. But he wouldn't be if he had any choice about this at all!

"I…I don't know, Sora," her gaze flickered back up to Riku uncertainly. "It's supposed to be a bad thing. We go to church and everything. And you've…_been_ with girls before and seemed to like it."

He found himself biting his lip slightly, unsure what else to say. She hadn't technically said anything that wasn't true. Kairi wasn't finished, however.

"I just need some time to process…all of…this," her eyes roamed from Sora to Riku and back again, as she inched away, friends silently following, looking like they were near about ready to burst into a flourish of heated discussion the moment they got out of sight.

And then the thought crossed his mind. Was he even supposed to have told Kairi? Would this make things worse for Riku? Sora turned, feeling a little sick. "Shit, I hope I wasn't supposed to keep quiet about that…jesus, I didn't even think…I mean, I just didn't want to hide things but I didn't think about how it'd affect you too…"

His words trailed off as he looked up at Riku. Fierce, handsome Riku who always looked completely put together. Right now, Sora was feeling anything but.

o - o

"Shhh," Riku responded, sliding his hands around Sora's waist and pulling the brunette against his chest. "It's easier this way."

Well, in all honesty it would be easier if the guy Riku had fallen for had been someone with no connection to his family whatsoever.

Wait, what did he mean 'fallen for?' That was a weird thought to have at all. He hadn't fallen for anyone, had he? Except that Sora had easily interrupted his usual routine without Riku even feeling frustrated by his presence in the least. His life seemed to be changing since the brunette had placed himself back so forcefully into his it again.

Sora might still be figuring this out and that was fine, but Riku sure as hell knew what he wanted. He'd known for a long time that he wanted Sora, and he was going to work extremely hard to make the brunette want to stay with him. He would do pretty much anything to make that a reality, actually.

Of course, it would be just typical of him to get the urge to kiss Sora right in the middle of a party in a place where they weren't exactly safe doing just that. So he let go of the brunette, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed. That was when he noticed Ralph hovering nearby watching the two of them, and turned back to Sora with a sigh.

"Did you still want to drink here tonight, or did you want to head back to the dorms," he asked, tense with uncertainty about this crazy situation.

o - o

If there was a word to describe what Sora was feeling right now, bliss would probably be a pretty good one to choose. He felt Riku's arms around his waist, gentle but sure, pulling them closer together. Sora found himself smiling openly, his expression just as readable. Pure and simple, Riku made him happy. So did Kairi, usually, just in a different way. And figuring out what was going to happen with their friendship was something that could wait for winter break, in his opinion.

Not noticing the sudden change in topics or the possible reason for it, Sora simply grinned at Riku's question. "Let's get a few drinks to start off the night. Can't say no to free alcohol, right?"

Feeling a bit bold, Sora returned to Riku's side, subtly brushing against the front of his pants with one had as thought by accident as he walked past. "I'll go grab us some," he said, voice low, almost teasing. He even threw in a quick wink. "No worries. If they have some of that sweet stuff from last time, I'll make sure to bring some back for you."

Then he was off, walking with more confidence than he'd shown in a while, hips slightly swinging, shoulders back. Tonight was going to be a _great_ night, if Sora had anything to say about it.

o - o

It was very difficult to dwell on drama when Sora was walking away swaying hips that he had seen naked enough times to imagine what they looked like under those baggy pants. Of course, that didn't mean that someone else wasn't about to ruin the view somehow.

"So that's it then," a voice shouted nearby. Riku wouldn't have even flinched from staring at Sora except the last line caught his attention, and made him recognize the voice he clearly could have blocked from his mind until then. "You're just going to turn him gay? Do you know what that will do to him? Why do you have to be so selfish?"

He spun, forgetting the view in light of the outrage he felt at those words. "Excuse me?"

Kairi crossed her arms in from of her chest, not backing down, while he seethed within arm's reach of her. If she had even an iota of sense, she would've backed away, but apparently she wasn't that intelligent. "You don't just turn gay," he snapped, "whatever our ignorant parents would like you to think. There isn't any switch."

She hrumphed, glaring at him and forcing him to continue on. "You think I would have _chosen_ this for myself? I would have _loved_ to be interested in women. I tried everything, hoping I was wrong, and then spent my childhood thinking I _was_ wrong, or that something was wrong with me. I _chose_ to feel like that, did I?"

There, that got her to drop her self-righteous little glare. Riku could have slapped this bitch.

"He came running to me, you know, not the other way around." He couldn't help but taunt her a little, but he did have a point. "I didn't force him to do anything. Everything we've done," - mostly, anyway - "he started. Maybe he's not gay, but whatever he feels, I didn't force it on him."

Riku leaned away from her then, tossing his hair over one shoulder and glaring over the heads of the people nearby as he concluded, "unless you think my stunning good looks are a force of nature that made him turn gay or bi or whatever it is he is. He'll figure it out later and be happier, except you don't know how to let that happen for your friends, do you?"

Kairi growled, and he knew that meant a response was coming that was going to make him want to slap her hard across the face. He should have walked away, but he didn't back down. If the bitch was going to say more, now would probably be the time to pay attention. After all, he was well aware that she could have him by the balls any moment with how much information she had on both of them.

Part of his mind wandered, wondered if he should begin looking for scholarships for both him and Sora, or, even better, another college to transfer to that they could both be happy at away from the reach of their parents. Poor kids managed to go to school somehow, right? They could do this on their own if they had to, Riku was sure.

Meanwhile, Ralph had followed Sora away from the scene they were both missing while on their way to the drink table. He eyed the other brunette with blue eyes that were just a shade lighter than his own, and growled to himself. Riku was replacing him, wasn't he? But really, with _that_ wimpy little guy? He could break them up. Ralph just needed an in; something to needle at until it snapped.

Sidling up to Sora, Ralph glanced around him to make sure that those aquamarine eyes weren't on them before sliding in close to the brunette, and offering him a sultry "hey."

He waited until those blue eyes met his before beginning. "So you're Riku's new plaything, huh? Has he had you yet?" His eyes sparkled as he gauged the brunette's reaction to that question. This guy, this new toy, walked with more confidence than Riku liked in his slaves, and Ralph knew it. He could get his master back if this was his only competition.

o - o

"It was blue and somewhat…uh, tropical, maybe? Y'know, sweet, but still pretty alcoholic."

The student across the counter shot Sora a weird look at his description, but hey, he couldn't remember what had been in that drink Riku'd liked so much the last time they were here partying. He couldn't even be sure if the thing had a name.

"It's probably jungle juice," the frat boy muttered with a slight roll of his eyes. "Just a sec."

As he took off, Sora waited, hands in his pockets and swaying a little to the sound of the music. It was loud, pulsing. It'd definitely be fun to get drunk to, Sora thought idly. Just not drunk enough to forget the evening ahead of them, assuming Riku's invite back to his dorm room was still open by the time they left…

He almost didn't notice the brown haired, blue eyed guy next to him, until he spoke. "Hi," Sora answered back, his eyes flitting over to see who had spoken…and then lingering a bit as he took in the guy's outfit.

It wasn't totally out of place here at a party, but it was definitely…well, daring, he thought. So much for making a statement with his own slightly tight t-shirt. This guy just looked like sex on legs. Or like he wanted it. Either way.

Sora tore his eyes away for a moment, searching out Riku to no avail. Too many people were between him and the last place they'd been together.

The frat boy came back out, two drinks in large plastic cups in hand. "Six dollars, yo. All the money's going to backyard renovations this year."

Automatically, Sora reached into his back jeans pocket, pulling out the required bills and sliding them across toward the bartender. He grabbed the two drinks and turned, planning to head back to Riku and start their evening.

The other student turned with him though, forcing Sora's eyes to level with him once more as he spoke.

The words made him stop dead, eyes widening as they registered more fully.

"Uh…_what_?" Sora coughed a little, trying not to choke on his own tongue. Had that guy just said…what he thought he'd said? Plaything? _Had_?

Inching away from the table as other partygoers approached, eyes never leaving the guy who'd just spoken, Sora shot him a confused look. "I don't…I mean I probably didn't hear you right. It's pretty loud in here." He looked up, squinting a bit at one of the stereo speakers nearby.

His eyes returned to the newcomer though, as if by their own volition. "I'm sorry," he started again, feeling a bit of heat rise to his face. "Do I know you?"

o - o

"Oh, you heard me right," Ralph teased, leaning closer to the flustered little brunette. Ralph was taller, if only by a little bit.

"You don't know me, no, but Riku does; very, very well," he let his voice imply what he didn't say, taking in the shattered confidence of the boy beside him with a bit of relish. That sway of hips wasn't the usual then, it seemed. He wasn't that hard to shake up.

The assumption that the little brunette hadn't slept with Riku yet was all he needed. Anyway, if this Sora had been in Riku's bed, the silver haired man probably wouldn't be calling Ralph back. So it was safe to fuck with his competition more, he figured, because if they hadn't been intimate yet then he might still have a chance with his favorite fuck-buddy.

"He's rough, you know; really rough. I hope you like it hard 'cause that's what you're gonna get." He smirked, remembering and visualizing. "You better be ready to play his slave in every way too, or he'll get bored with you. He has a reputation… you know?"

He purred the last two words directly in Sora's ear, breathing on the sensitive area of the shorter man's body suggestively before leaning away again. "If you need help pleasing him, you can always ask me for advice. I imagine you can guess where to find me."

And with that, he turned his back on the other brunette and swayed off in search of something more promising for the night. Riku wasn't the only one who had back-ups when he needed them. Hopefully some of Ralph's were still available for the evening. Hopefully, what he'd said to this new little 'toy' would settle in sooner rather than later.

At the same moment across the room, Kairi exploded. "You think you know everything about everyone, you pompous asshole! You're the one that left us and started sulking around school like you had no friends. We could have gotten you some help, but you had to go and leave us! That's not my fault."

"Some help?" Riku countered, eyebrow raised and eyes glittering in a dangerous expression. "Did you say," he began lowering his voice a little, "you could have gotten me some _help_? Like someone with a disorder? Do you think that wanting to be with someone for years is some kind of sickness? Is _loving Sora_ a disease?"

The words were out of his mouth before he even thought about what he was saying, and Riku snapped his jaw shut with an audible click. What had he just said? _Love_? Well, maybe, but… that wasn't a possibility for him. Was it?

Kairi heard it too, and her eyes and mouth mimicked each other, wide with shock at his pronouncement. She stared into wide aquamarine eyes, looking at him in some new way that made him uncomfortable. Then she looked around at the tiny audience they'd acquired, and huffed, stepping closer to him to ask, "You love Sora?"

"I…" he started. He was so angry at her that his tongue refused to work properly. "I didn't mean to… I mean, I wasn't going to say…"

She cut his ramblings off with a wide-eyed and wondering, "I didn't… how … who would have known?" And with that she turned and wandered away from him, leaving Riku standing there slumped, feeling very defeated.

o - o

Sora froze at the words of the other brunet next to him. Reputation? Rough? No, in fact, he didn't know…

All of a sudden, their last intimate experience came back to Sora, Riku's harsh voice, the way he'd yanked the collar Sora had willingly worn, barking out commands. The way he'd slid fingers into Sora until Sora's eyes had watered uncontrollably at the stinging pain.

Would it feel worse if he let Riku…have him? The pain had been mixed with pleasure beforehand, but now all Sora was remembering was the parts that had hurt, the moments he'd felt embarrassed or unsure.

And this guy here was implying that he had… with Riku …and often?

Sora opened his mouth, for what purpose he couldn't say. Maybe he'd deny what he'd heard, tell the guy to fuck off. Or maybe he just had questions. So many more questions…

It didn't matter either way, as the other guy was already sauntering away, his last words lingering in the back of Sora's mind. Despite himself, Sora wanted to find out more. He wanted to make Riku happy, but…well, he'd thought the slave game was just that - a game that they'd play occasionally. Would he have to do it every time now that they were boyfriends? Riku hadn't told him that.

He felt his body shiver a little at the memory of Riku's words after he'd messed up, touching when he shouldn't have. He'd truly thought Riku might strike him for a brief moment. Were those worries reasonable to have?

Sora walked back to Riku in a bit of a daze, hardly registering the stunned expression on Kairi's face as he passed her by going in the opposite direction.

The swagger was gone from Sora's step, and the closer he approached, the more his shoulders turned unconsciously inward. The fear of losing Riku's interest was so strong, it was almost choking him by the time he returned to Riku's location near the back of the frat house living room.

Riku looked a bit distracted too, although Sora hardly noted it.

"Hey," he said, trying to grab the taller boy's attention. "I think I found that drink we both liked last time. Jungle something, or…another, whatever." He passed the drink over to Riku, careful not to touch his boyfriend this time, before taking a swig out of his own cup. Maybe he'd need to get drunker than he imagined tonight, after all.

_Riku likes it rough, he likes it hard. Better be prepared to give it to him, to play his slave in every way. Or he'll get bored. He'll leave you._

Sora had been almost certain he'd do anything for Riku, but the worry lingered. Was his friend really like that? Did he truly have a reputation among some people here? And if so, could he find out what it was that Riku wanted, without compromising his own wants and needs in the process?


	19. Chapter 19: Telltale Signs II

**A/N**: I had this long-ass author note for this section, but then decided that, c'mon, we're all just mostly here for the smut anyway, right? So I moved it onto the last chapter of Holier than Thou on my personal account. You're welcome. Enjoy your smut, ducks. See you next chappie. (Also? You guys with your awesome reviews and PMs are making me feel like such a d-bag about having decided not to continue this story beyond the next two sections...I sincerely hope the "wrap-up" section I'm working on makes up for the somewhat abrupt end to this story for you all.)

* * *

><p>He actually jumped when Sora spoke beside him, almost spilling the drink his boyfriend handed him. Had the brunette heard what he'd just said? Aquamarine eyes found distracted blue ones as he corrected his boyfriend automatically. "Jungle juice; strong stuff."<p>

Without even thinking about what he was doing, Riku drank the whole cup, coming up for air only when nothing else would fall between his lips, then looked back down at Sora. He was really, really glad that the brunette was there with him. And more importantly, his boyfriend wanted to be open about their relationship. Well, okay it was a little dangerous for them, yes, but it made Riku feel wanted, which hit him surprisingly hard. Unused to the tightening in his chest, he pulled Sora into a tight hug, pressing his boyfriend against the new pain in his body that he didn't fully understand.

When he let go, he heard himself apologizing as though his voice was coming from somewhere far, far away. "Sorry," he said, feeling the alcohol begin its numbing magic within his body.

Releasing Sora, he held on just a little with one hand at the brunette's waist, leaning in close to his boyfriend's ear and purring, "Have I told you how hot you look tonight?"

As subtly as he could manage it in a crowd where some of the people were still looking at him sideways, Riku let his lips find a sensitive spot on Sora's ear, and moved down softly to trail hot breath and another kiss down the side of the brunette's neck. Why hadn't they just stayed in tonight? The things he would have done to his boyfriend's body… well, maybe later on they could still do those things… if Sora still wanted to go back to his dorm room afterward.

o - o

The hug had been unexpected, and it'd taken quick thinking on Sora's part not to yelp at the sudden physical contact. Biting down on his lip hard, he felt himself crushed beneath Riku's arm and chest, the wind momentarily knocked out of him at the realization of just how strong his friend was. And this was only a one-handed thing.

Maybe this is what that guy had meant…

A second later, Riku was apologizing though, and Sora, silent for the time being, took another long sip of his drink, finishing it off in almost one gulp.

It was probably lucky he had, for at that moment, Riku leaned down, his lips mere inches from Sora's ear. As far as Sora was concerned, Riku could've recited a fucking mathematical theorum _in Latin_ into his ear, and it would've been the sexiest damn thing he'd heard all week.

Just the way he spoke, the way his tone dropped a little lower as though promising something only Riku could give, if only Sora was patient enough to wait a bit, had the brunet nearly quivering in place. As Riku's lips found the shell of his ear, then a sensitive spot on his neck, Sora let out just the slightest of moans, muffling it almost immediately as he clamped his mouth shut, trying not to be too obvious in public with his boyfriend.

The cup clattering to the floor went unnoticed as Sora felt the heat between his legs begin to intensify.

Slowly, he turned to Riku, an unconcealed, plainly lustful look in his eyes when he next spoke. "I picked it out just for you," he said, voice not quite reaching that expert purr Riku's seemed effortlessly to slide into when he was trying to be sexy. Sora's was just low, shyly inviting. While one hand clasped over Riku's on his waist, the other slid slowly down his chest, from breastbone to the edge of his belted lower stomach, as though to clarify. "I'm glad you like it," he exhaled.

Squeezing the hand at his waist slightly with his own, Sora looked up at Riku, his friend, the person he wanted to trust more than anyone else in the world right now. "You look pretty amazing yourself tonight," he said. _Please don't let what that guy told me be true_, was what he thought though.

o - o

If they had been alone, Riku would have pounced on Sora right about then, watching that hand trail teasingly down the body he wasn't allowed to touch yet, not while they were still in public. He had the wherewithal to be upset about that, and despite how little alcohol he'd consumed the fight from just moments before had him on edge.

The fact that Sora liked the way he dressed registered, but only just, as a warm feeling blossoming in his chest and spread to his neck and limbs. Of course he looked amazing. He spent hours agonizing over things to wear that might make those blue eyes take note of him. Riku had spent years doing that, and hundreds of dollars on clothes that made his body look more appealing no matter what type of figure he might be into. The fact that Sora noticed would have hit him harder if not for Kairi's words still echoing in his head.

Growling, he took a step back from Sora and spun in place, clenching his fists as he met with widened eyes and sideways glances from faces around them. When he turned back to the brunette, he meant to explain, but what came out of his mouth instead was, "You know, if you were Kairi, I could pretty much take you right here, right now, and none of these people would even think it was weird. They'd probably watch it or video it to watch later, but enjoy it. But because you're a guy, if I even kiss you here they'll all stare at us like we're fucking insane or something. How fair is that? What's wrong with…"

Here he reached for Sora, pulling their foreheads together and holding him by the waist with both hands. "You know if you stay with me, we'll always have to deal with those looks. The people who think it's disgusting, what we have. You've always been so normal, Sora. It's me who's the freak. What do you see in me?"

What was happening to him? A little bit of alcohol and he turned into a whiny little girl? What the fuck?

o - o

Riku's demeanor changed so quickly, it left Sora stunned for a moment, simply staring as his friend pulled away and returned to him. What Riku had said, about taking Sora there now if he'd been Kairi…well, Sora didn't want to admit that it turned him on a little to hear.

He was pretty sure Riku wouldn't want to hear that though, not in the state he was currently in. So Sora remained quiet, wide-eyed, just looking, taking everything about his friend's pent up emotions in.

Again, the thought crossed his mind that this fierce, temperamental version of Riku might be even harsher in bed as they continued on in their relationship. The realization sent a tingle of both anticipation and nerves through the shorter boy.

"Riku?" The word came out questioningly, as though Sora wasn't exactly sure what to say. Then it hit him.

"Since when do you care what other people think of you?" he asked, expression curious. Riku always seemed so put together, so unconcerned about other people, Kairi and himself included whenever they were together and talking about something that didn't seem to interest him.

And what did he see in Riku? Looks, intellect, loyalty beyond measure? And even if they didn't always agree on certain things or hold all the same interests, Riku had always stood up for him when they were kids. He was still doing it now.

The warmth that spread through Sora's limbs this time had nothing to do with arousal. There was something bigger, something deeper, at work within this feeling, without question.

And they were so close, foreheads touching as Riku gazed on him in such an intense manner…

Well, Sora found he couldn't help himself.

Without a second thought for where they were or what he was about to do, Sora clasped Riku's face on either side with small hands, tilted his chin up, and gave him a soft and gentle kiss directly on the lips.

o - o

Sora… had a fucking point. When did he ever care what other people thought? Well, all the damn time, actually. That was why he worked so hard to prove that he didn't. Still, the only reason he was really acting this way was because the fight had worked him up, so maybe he should just calm do-

Then the brunette kissed him, and Riku forgot what he was trying to do. This was the kind of kiss that he didn't have any experience with; soft and gentle as though in an attempt to sooth him. It brought back the strange horrible, wonderful pain in his chest that had him reaching for Sora's wrists without realizing what he was doing, and grabbing hold of them. Then he remembered where they were, and his eyes snapped wide open. He might not let on that he cared what other people thought, but it was damn hard to forget that people got their asses kicked at this school for doing less than this in public.

As slowly as he thought he could manage it without hurting the brunette's feelings or making him feel unwanted in some way, Riku finished the kiss stepping back slightly. He found it difficult to release his boyfriend's wrists, though. Still, he managed to finally let go before swiftly grabbing one of Sora's hands with his now free ones.

"Come on," he said, eyeing everyone around them carefully before pulling Sora toward the bar. He didn't need to be surprised by someone attacking them. "I think I owe you a drink."

o - o

Sora let himself be pulled back toward the bar. For a moment, he considered asking Riku if they could take it to go, but something held him back, and as he made his way up to the table once more, Sora found the thought dissolving entirely as a familiar face approached.

"Sora?"

A shy, sweet voice called his name, and Sora turned, hand still in Riku's. The girl took in the pair with a light blush across pale cheeks but no further sign of judgment in her expression. She looked like she was going to turn to go a moment later, but Sora dropped Riku's hand almost immediately as he called out to her.

"Hey, Olette. Geez, it's been, like, forever, huh?"

Pausing in her retreat, the girl looked at him curiously, almost hopefully, before nodding.

Sora smiled. "Just a sec, okay?"

He turned back to Riku. "She's just a friend from the co-ed soccer team," he explained. "I haven't seen her in forever. Can you order drinks for us? I'll be right over there."

Then he was off, bounding back over to the girl and engulfing her in a friendly hug. "Dude, I haven't seen you in a freakin' month. Finals killed me."

Olette laughed a little, hugging him back. "Me too. I haven't been to a practice in weeks."

They chatted for a few minutes, until Riku's nearly silent return. Only a slight nudge directed Sora's attention elsewhere, back to his boyfriend. As he latched onto his next drink, an appreciative smile on his face, Sora turned back to the girl in front of them. "Olette, this is my friend, Riku." She nodded, smiling shyly before offering a quiet "hi" in return.

"Well, boyfriend, actually," Sora blurted. "It's still a bit new to me."

The flush in Olette's cheeks deepened at his words, but she nodded in acknowledgement. "Nice to meet you," she said, sneaking one shy glance into an aquamarine gaze before looking down at Sora once more.

"Prolly going to dance now," Sora said, keeping his voice upbeat. "But it was cool seeing you again, 'Lette. We should totally catch up again next semester."

And then he was off, and this time it was Sora who was pulling Riku along, toward the dance floor, drink in hand.

He moved in closer to Riku, allowing his body to sway slightly to the beat as he leaned forward to talk. "See," he said cheerfully, "not everyone thinks it's a big deal." He leaned in conspiratorially at this point. "Actually, I think Olette thought you were pretty cute if that blush was any indication."

His grin was devilish as he backed away, still close enough to chat but with enough distance to take a sip of his drink. Fuck that other kid for the time being. Riku was fine, Sora thought. He'd be fine too, he hoped.

o - o

Apparently, Sora was serious about being open about him. Riku had never expected the brunet to actually introduce him to random people with the title 'boyfriend' attached to his name. Then again, it had surprised Riku how much the title 'friend' could stab him. Just a friend for so, so long… but not anymore.

He had smiled, bowed slightly to the girl, and she had repaid his actions with a blush that was actually somewhat amusing. When she was gone, Sora's teasing made perfect sense, and why not? Riku was pretty good looking, if he did say so himself. Obviously a certain boyfriend of his agreed. He took another long drink from the sweet stuff, not surprised at all by the bite it had underneath, and let himself move against Sora whenever the opportunity arose, only nodding to his boyfriend's declaration.

It might have been too much to hope, but with any luck those would be the only reactions that the brunette would have to endure when he introduced Riku to his friends that way. For his part, Riku sincerely doubted that would be the case.

Sora's mood was a little bit contagious though, and Riku found himself dancing with his boyfriend, actually having fun though not as openly as the brunette seemed to be. As he finished off his drink, still moving to the beat with his hand on Sora's lower back, he leaned forward.

"Another drink, Sora, or have you had enough?"

o - o

"Depends on what other plans you had in mind," Sora shot back, his grin still wide on his face. He was getting his groove back, feeling the confidence return. That other guy just didn't know Riku as well as he did, he'd started to convince himself. Riku wouldn't hurt him, especially not if he seemed to care so much about Sora's well-being when it came to their social interactions with others.

It was just too bad it didn't extend to home, where there was no way in hell he could be open about this relationship. His parents would disown him, then kill him, not necessarily in that order. Riku's would probably end up having a similar reaction. Maybe worse, knowing how strict his father seemed to be.

Sora didn't care right now though, enjoying the light-headed feeling two drinks were giving him, without the absolute dizziness and forgetfulness three times the amount would induce. He brushed up against Riku again, almost innocently sliding his arm past Riku's left thigh as he switched positions on the dance floor. The look in his eyes said everything, but his expression remained low-key, cheerful for others around them.

Come to think, a few people were certainly looking at them strangely, but at the moment, Sora didn't care at all. It was just all about Riku, all about having fun. They were done with finals, after all. It was time to party, not worry about whatever random things either of them had on their mind at the moment.

"We could always grab one and get the hell outta here," Sora suggested, leaning into Riku a little, as though to be able to speak over the din. Again, though, his subtle actions caused him to brush against Riku teasingly another time.

Then he backed off again, with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "Either way, it's totally up to you."

o - o

It wasn't like Riku to get impatient this early in the game, but that was precisely what was happening. Little things were messing with his control early, like the way his boyfriend was moving to the beat and these almost insignificant brushes against Riku's body. Was Sora touching him there on purpose, or was it entirely accidental? Not knowing was sure to drive him crazy at this point.

Determined to demonstrate his self-control, even if said control was wearing pretty thin, he leaned forward informing Sora that they could grab their drinks to go. …if that was what the brunet still wanted, of course.

So grabbing his boyfriend by the wrist, Riku tugged Sora off of the dance floor, ordered two more drinks, gladly paid for them, and then dragged the brunette out of the main party room and towards his dorm, sipping his drink calmly and hiding the nerves that were boiling beneath.

Would Sora be ready tonight, or was it still too soon? The only problem either way was that if it was too soon then they would have almost a month to wait, and not many chances to keep his boyfriend physically prepared. He would have to start all over again. God, that would be torture, but… he didn't want to scare Sora away, either. Riku could be patient if he had to, right? It felt like he would die before anything happened again. How long had he ever gone before this without … well, he never really had to go for long, did he? That had been the point before. Patience: that was something he hadn't really been practicing these last few years.

As soon as they reached Riku's door, he unlocked it, pulling Sora inside, and shutting the door behind them. Ensuring the thing was locked, he turned back to the brunette, taking the cup from his boyfriend's hand and setting both his and Sora's drinks beside the bed. Then he calmly attacked the brunette, growling slightly as he wrapped his arms around the him, feeling Sora's body beneath his-close fitting shirt as he kissed him with considerable passion. He couldn't help it.

Pressing Sora back, he helped them both lean back onto Riku's bed before pressing his whole body against the brunette's and grinding his hips into his boyfriend's, groaning loudly as he did. "God, Sora. I want you so bad, right now," he gasped between kisses. "You're so hot."

Letting those words hang in the air, he kissed Sora again, hard, before moving his lips and teeth down the side of the brunet's neck. He was determined to find more of his boyfriend's sensitive places tonight, and do whatever was necessary to drive Sora over the edge with him. It was hard to remember to be gentle and calm when he was this riled up, but Riku tried, constantly aware of his fear of chasing the other young man away.

o - o

When Riku wanted something, he certainly didn't wait.

This time, neither did Sora though, as he returned Riku's kisses with open mouthed ones of his own. He felt more confident tonight, more willing to try other things, so as Riku pressed him to the bed, grinding their hips together with delicious friction, Sora's hands moved to Riku's backside, squeezing appreciatively before slipping upward, beneath Riku's tight shirt, to feel the flexing muscles of his boyfriend's back as he continued to grind on top of him.

This time, Sora didn't hold back either, allowing a few breathless moans to escape immediately as he tried to give Riku back as much as he was being given.

"You're hotter," he managed to gasp out before his lips were crushed once more, hips thrusting upward to meet Riku halfway.

He was pushing Riku's shirt up his back, scratching appreciatively as he tried to get the thing off. Plain and simple, this was Sora losing control, forcing himself to forget what he'd been told earlier and just go with his instincts on this one. Riku wasn't forcing him, wasn't being any rougher than Sora himself was acting at this point. It was more than enough.

The next moment Sora's mouth was free, he bit down on the soft flesh between Riku's throat and shoulder, right before that beautiful olive skin disappeared beneath a now cumbersome t-shirt. Beneath them, he felt himself steadily hardening thanks to their mutual ministrations.

The next words out of his mouth were half moan, half confession, and Sora didn't mind one bit at this point. It was simply enough just to moan, and talk and _need_.

"Mmmh, Riku, I want you too."

o - o

Riku groaned loudly at Sora's responses, wanting more than anything for that to mean what he wanted it to mean. Pulling back slightly, he pulled both Sora's close-fitting shirt and his own impatiently out of the way, before colliding with his boyfriend's body again grabbing at overheated skin frantically.

Kissing and biting his way down the brunette's neck, he found his hands already straying for Sora's belt, unfastening it with ease before paying a little attention to the steadily growing erection beneath the fabric. His hand cupped around his boyfriend's groin, grasping and squeezing before rubbing in a steady motion up and down and up again.

Then something occurred to him. Where were his toys? It made him pause, wondering if maybe with the help of those plugs he could actually manage to do this tonight. …if Sora wanted him to.

He let his mouth move back up to Sora's then, hands working on the button and zipper of his boyfriend's pants, undoing them and sliding underneath the loose-fitting pants. His hand found its goal instantly, grabbing and stroking over the fabric as he kissed the brunette passionately.

"I want to try something nnnng-new with you tonight," he gasped, breaking the kiss abruptly as his hand slid beneath the brunette's underwear to touch the hot skin beneath it. "Do you… nnn… would you want… me… inside?"

It was hard to speak, both because he was out of breath and because he was absolutely mortified to ask for this aloud. However, Riku could think of no better way. If Sora said 'no' then he wouldn't have to get himself so worked up over worrying about whether or not they could, and if he said 'yes' then there would be no surprises that scared the brunette away… right? God, he wanted to feel what it would be like to be inside of Sora, more than anything.


	20. Chapter 20: Telltale Signs III

**A/N**: Last section, f'reals now.

Actually, that's a slight lie. There're still about 7,000 words remaining of another chapter. But it cuts off more abruptly than this section does, and remains unfinished.

So here's the deal - I'm going to try my best to wrap this thing up with one more update, probably an epilogue. Please note: This may not get posted next Wednesday like I'd anticipated (although I'll try my best). I've been dealing with a head cold/flu from hell, making it impossible to write for the past week, and I have a writing deadline from my offline publisher upcoming. Fingers crossed I start feeling better soon, because _ugh_.

I'm a little dissatisfied with this being the end, if only because I feel like there was a lot of potential for additional conflicts with Ralph, Kairi, and even Riku's and Sora's families. Riku was never my character in this particular story though (if you're interested in reading Riku from my perspective, put my nicayal FFN account on author alert, as I plan to do a college follow-up to my Holier Than Thou fic, called "Saving Graces", with Riku being one of the characters whose POV I write from - and Sora, ahem, definitely plays a role in Riku's life there too), and I don't have the time in my offline life to continue what could probably go on for another 100K words. We'll see what I can get written up to finalize this though, with the time and energy I do have available to devote to this. This story deserves some form of closure, imo. And a great big thank you to everyone who's PMed or reviewed.

* * *

><p>God, everything was getting so hot for Sora, so quickly. Even with his shirt off, his pants half undone, his whole body felt overheated.<p>

And then Riku started kneading, sliding his hand beneath Sora's boxers, over heat and arousal and…

Sora moaned, a long, needy sound at Riku's first words. Something new? He'd practically do anything right now, as long as Riku didn't stop _touching_ him.

But what he spoke next made Sora gasp. As his fingers brushed lightly over the tight skin of his erection, the words slowly started to register. Riku…inside…me.

Involuntarily, Sora felt himself twitch against Riku's hands as an wave of nervous energy originated in his chest, and flooded his extremities within the span of a moment.

"Inside…" he murmured the word softly, almost a question, eyes wide with anxious trepidation. Just the thought of Riku and him joined like that…

But Riku's size…and the fingers that had hurt so much.

Without realizing he was doing it, Sora's hands had moved downward, began tracing the outline of Riku's own covered erection, trying to imagine the length of it within him.

He'd never been penetrated before Riku, not even with fingers. Sora had always been the one doing the penetrating.

But it was Riku, and he always made Sora feel so good, even when there was the initial uncertainty about it…

Slowly, Sora nodded, still tracing Riku's erection. A moment later, the click of a button unhooking, the teeth of a zipper being opened, and Sora was rubbing Riku through his underwear with one hand, fondling his balls, then providing firm pressure from his base up to his tip.

There was a pause as he imagined something of that length and thickness inside him. The thought was scary but at the same time a lot more arousing than Sora imagined it'd be. Pounding in and out, hitting that spot that made his whole body shudder with pleasure… Quietly, he moaned against Riku's chest as he pulled the taller boy down against him.

"What do I do?" he asked, words murmured against the hot bare skin of Riku's shoulder.

Was he still supposed to be submissive? Sora didn't know…didn't know anything at all at this point.

o - o

Riku was in a kind of shock that Sora seemed to be agreeing. The brunet wanted him in that way, really? Something in his chest was hurting again, tightening and screaming at him to pay attention. This was more than just sex, somehow; it was with Sora so it was something new, something different, something special. His whole body started to tremble as his boyfriend pulled him down, asking him a question. The question itself, however, seemed to rouse Riku from his frozen surprise.

"You," he answered, "just need to relax… wh-while I prepare you."

There was something else he needed to say, but he was having a hard time finding the words. He didn't want to tell Sora that it might hurt, because then the brunet would tense up, but how to warn him and tell him that it would be okay. It wasn't okay the first time someone had fucked Riku, but he wasn't going to do that to Sora, not like that anyway.

Pulling away from the brunet just enough to reach his bedside drawer without letting go of his boyfriend's erection, Riku got out the lube and two toys. Both toys were meant to prep the body, the only difference was size and the larger one vibrated. It was hard to concentrate on what he needed with Sora's hand down his pants, but he managed only moaning a little bit. His mind was too excited about the possibility of entering his boyfriend for the first time to really let go of anything related to it for very long.

Sora was still wearing too much clothing however, and that would be a problem. So Riku, letting go of his boyfriend's lovely cock for the first time since touching it that evening, pulled the brunet's pants down his hips and off. The underwear came next, and Riku got the urge to kiss his way down Sora's abdomen as he pulled the tight material off, though he didn't really know why he'd done that.

When he reached his boyfriend's waist, he kept going his mouth slowly making its way over the front of one muscular hip and down the inside of the brunet's thigh. At the same time that he did this, Riku was preparing himself, sliding lube over the fingers of one hand, and rubbing them together to warm them. That was when he remembered he needed to tell Sora something… about pain. What to say, though.

As Riku slid his lubed hand down the seam of Sora's body, gently kneading his boyfriend's entrance and grabbing the brunet's erection in his other hand to hold it steady, he gave the sprawled out boy one more thing. It was the one thing he'd always wished that… man… had done when he'd asked, so Sora should know that Riku would if his boyfriend asked him to.

"If-if you… want me to stop," he forced out, lips so close to the brunet's erection that he could feel his own breath reverberating off of Sora's skin and brushing back against his face as he spoke, "tell me, and we'll stop." Then he slid his lips around the brunet's tip, humming a slight moan as the finger he slipped into Sora took on a slightly more urgent meaning.

o - o

One simple sentence was all it took for Sora to relax. Fuck that asshole at the party, freaking him out like that. Riku was his best friend. Sora should've known better than to ever have assumed Riku would try to hurt him on purpose.

So when Riku's fingers slid down between his legs, Sora spread his thighs wider, giving Riku easier access. When they teased around his entrance, he relaxed, almost inviting them in. And when Riku spoke, he could only answer in a moan, neck exposed as he threw his head back at the exquisite sensation of wet heat engulfing the tip of his erection.

He welcomed the first finger, familiar with the gentle, sensuous way it slid into him. In fact, Sora even ground against it a little, trying to help it find that pleasurable spot Riku seemed to locate so effortlessly on his own when he wished.

But the finger was gentle, not roaming or searching, and soon Sora was writhing a little, almost impatient for more pressure, more pleasure, more _Riku_. As if complying by some unspoken understanding, another finger slipped inside him and Sora found himself speaking without really realizing that was what he was going to do. "Nnngh, deeperrr," he moaned. _Harder_. _Faster_. Why was Riku going so slowly?

He wanted to reach for Riku, to give him an idea of the speed he was yearning for by example, pumping his friend in the process. But Riku was too far away, and Sora was only able to grab onto his friend's head as it bobbed gently over his lap.

And then there was pleasure, one momentary burst of tingling heat from his abdomen, as Riku's fingers knowingly slid over a spot it seemed they already knew was there. Then away again, as they stretched outward, fulfilling the original purpose of their entrance. It might've been uncomfortable, but it was expertly timed, and Sora hardly noticed as he cried out from the intensity of the heat he'd experienced.

"Riku…" he moaned, unsure if he had anything to say at all to his friend. The name made him hotter though, so he said it again, this time more quietly, murmured in longing instead of frantic need. "_Riku_…"

o - o

It was extremely obvious that Sora was trying to drive him insane. The moaning, writhing mess beneath his fingertips was begging for more, and he knew he could comply but not without hurting him. When two fingers could easily enter and exit his boyfriend's body without any more noticeable discomfort, Riku carefully and gently brushed Sora's prostate again before pulling out and preparing the first toy.

He'd meant to do this over a longer period of time, but maybe it would be enough to do this tonight beforehand. Maybe.

It wasn't long before he'd spread the slippery substance over the first plug, trying his best to warm it with his friction before positioning it, and slowly sliding it in. Then Riku left it there, making sure to work his tongue in a way that would take Sora's mind off of the stretching. It wasn't that much bigger, really, it was just a bridge between his own two fingers and the next toy, which was only a little bit thinner than his own cock. If his boyfriend could take the next one, then he could take Riku… even if he didn't end up taking him tonight.

After a little while, it was hard to tell because Riku was impatient and Sora was writhing beneath him and making everything so much hotter, he began to work the toy out and then back into the brunet's body moving it in a circular motion that matched the rhythm of his tongue.

When he finally slid it all the way out, he let go of Sora with his mouth, too. He had to see what he was doing to prepare the next one, and he was still trying to teach his boyfriend to associate insertion with pleasure. So a pause around back had to mean a pause in front.

As he prepped the toy with lube, he talked. "This one is just a little bit smaller than I am, and a little shorter," he said, finishing up his work and positioning it at Sora's entrance. Then he began to press it in, while at the same time sliding his tongue down the underside of the brunet's cock, mouth heading for the second most sensitive spot on his boyfriend's body as he slid the vibrator in.

o - o

The first insertion after Riku's fingers wasn't really that bad, Sora thought. It felt weird as hell, but he said nothing. This was all so he could feel Riku in him, right? So who cared if plastic or silicone or whatever it was felt a little bizarre? The idea of feeling Riku on him, in him, silenced any ridiculous jokes he might've otherwise thought to make.

Well, that and Riku's tongue. It was difficult to really focus on what was going on around his entrance when Riku was sucking and lapping and swirling like that up front.

It also helped that Riku was giving an explanation as he went, putting Sora's mind slightly more at ease throughout.

No amount of explanation prepared him for the shock of something so large trying to enter though. Half-lidded eyes opened wide with surprise, then pain a second later as he found himself tensing for the first time that evening.

The moan that ripped from Sora's throat took on a different tone.

_He likes it rough. He'll get bored with you…_

_Shut up, shut up, shut up._

"Riku!"

The name was out of his mouth before Sora could stop himself, feeling himself trembling with fear and the shock of the feeling, both.

He didn't want to stop though. He _wanted_ to feel Riku inside of him. It might be the closest thing Sora could imagine to making love. The only other person he'd been with had called it sex, and that's what he always saw it as too — there to get it over with so he wouldn't be a virgin anymore and that was about it. With Riku, he wanted it to be something more, and that meant bearing this so he could actually experience it.

His eyes were beginning to tear up though, and inwardly Sora berated himself for being such a baby. If Riku could do it, so could he, right? People did this all the time, he assumed.

So why did it have to hurt so damn much?

He couldn't just leave it at that though. Instead, he gritted his teeth, trying to be subtle and not too expressive like last time. "Just…a little slower…pl-please."

o - o

Riku froze as soon as Sora called his name. He wanted more than anything to believe that it had been a cry of passion, of wanting him, but something made him hesitate. When the brunet instructed him to slow down, he was more than willing to comply, though his own body ached to take his boyfriend now.

"I can go slower," he purred, lips closing around Sora's length again.

One hand worked the vibrator in and out just a little further in each time trying to get it as far in as it would go, while his other hand played with the brunet's sac, fondling it gently as he added a bit of sucking pressure to his boyfriend's cock. If Sora came from this… well, he would just have to learn to be a little more patient for next time, wouldn't he? The brunet might tighten up too much to finish if that happened.

If he could get it all the way in though, flipping the switch on the vibrator might just kill Sora, too. It would certainly tease his boyfriend's prostate well enough to start something. At least, that's what it had seemed to do for everyone else before him. Then again, Riku had never been this gentle with everyone else, so maybe that wasn't how it worked at all.

He didn't realize he was holding his breath. Continuing his work, he waited for a moan to come from the body beneath him.

o - o

"Riku…"

This time when Sora moaned his friend's name there was more pleasure than pain. In fact, that mild stinging he was experiencing seemed just to be enough that Riku's hot mouth wasn't driving him too far over the edge, even though it felt _amazing_.

The stinging was coming from the toy entering him, but Sora was starting to enjoy the feeling as it slid slowly out. Every time Riku withdrew it, another moan pulled itself out of Sora's throat.

"Oh god," he moaned. There was still something uncomfortable about hard material being forced into him. But Riku wouldn't be as unyielding. He'd be hot and smooth and…

Sora felt himself twitch at the thought, hips rising, thrusting himself into the side of Riku's cheek. "Unnngh," he groaned, head thrown back as he began to grind against this new toy for the first time. He could feel it getting closer to where he wanted it to brush, and the realization made him strain harder against it, trying to drive down with his hips when there was no real way to do it from his current laid-back position.

"Nnn, Riku, god." He was panting now, thrusting hips getting more insistent, hardly able to think about anything other than the hot mouth devouring his cock, fingers playing gently against his underside as that toy kept up its slow, maddening pace.

And then he found himself crying out, although he was hardly aware of what he was saying, of whether or not he was even ready. "Nnghh, I want you."

o - o

Riku's eyes went wide, his whole body flushed with arousal, as Sora called out to him. Maybe he didn't need the vibrator this time. Was his boyfriend really ready to be entered now? But then, what if he wasn't?

His worries were pushed aside by the insistent moans and thrusts between his open lips, and he found that, given this new level of arousal Sora was in, he couldn't wait any longer himself. With his freehand, Riku searched beside him for the condom and the lube he'd pulled out, feeling for it and then placing it beside his boyfriend on the bed. As he pressed the vibrator all the way back into Sora, he pulled off of the brunet's erection, sucking the whole way up. When his mouth was free, he looked back up at his boyfriend's flushed face, taking it in and groaning.

"This is going to feel weird, but it's just for while I get ready, okay?"

With that, he flipped the switch, putting the vibrator on the lowest setting possible. Riku was pretty sure it would feel good while he opened and unrolled the condom onto his own aching and twitching arousal, and then quickly lubed himself up, stroking himself a couple of times to warm up the slippery substance.

"God, Sora," he found himself moaning as he opened his eyes, aquamarine meeting half-lidded blue. "You're so amazing."

Leaning forward, he placed a hard kiss on the brunet's lips before reaching down and slowly pulling the vibrator free.

o - o

He'd wanted to help. Maybe it was dumb, but Sora had somehow envisioned unrolling the condom onto Riku, of pumping him a few times before sliding him in.

Okay, so it was possible he'd watched a few cheesy porn clips online in the past week. Sue him.

The moment the vibrator was clicked on however, the thoughts flew from Sora's mind.

"Wai—"

But it was too late. Another moan ripped through Sora's throat as the thing hit momentarily in just the right spot. His body strained, desperately trying to feel it again, but the movement must have altered the toy's position just slightly. So close, but not another moment of seeing stars.

He hadn't even noticed Riku's preparations, only felt it when Riku began withdrawing the toy. And the kiss. It made his whole body shudder with want. With need.

The moment the toy was out, Sora was struggling to sit upright, wincing visibly as he registered the soreness beneath him.

"Riku…" Again, he spoke. His boyfriend's name was like a mantra, replaying verbally and silently in his mind. His hands reached out, sliding over the firm surface of Riku's abdomen, before coming to rest at the base of his friend's arousal before them.

Gently, Sora wrapped his hands around it, one hand over the other as he looked up at Riku almost adoringly.

"Riku…"

The word was a breathless near moan on Sora's lips as he began to stroke, not fast but gently, feeling the heat of the lubricant caused by friction with his own hands and Riku's erection.

One hand reached Riku's tip, thumb swirling gently over the slit covered by thin material of the condom. It was an unconscious gesture, for Sora was looking up at Riku still, his expression open with need.

"I want you," he murmured, sliding forward enough to place a kiss on Riku's stomach. A moment later, his hands had moved to touch himself of their own volition, slowly pumping as he took in the entirety of Riku's body. Another moan, another thought he wouldn't dare to voice just yet.

Instead, he lay back a little, propped up by the elbow on his one free arm, still slowly touching himself with his other hand as he look up through half-lidded, lust-filled eyes.

"God, Riku. I want you so much…"

o - o

Riku saw the slight wince as Sora moved to sit closer to him, and expected the brunet to ask him to stop. So it was a rather pleasant surprise when his boyfriend's smaller hands wrapped around him, and began to pump his erection slowly. Aquamarine eyes were wide as they took in a wide blue erotic expression, and he moaned out loud, both at the things being done to him and the idea of finally being inside of Sora.

He stood, still frozen as the brunet then took hold of his own erection and started pleasuring himself in front of Riku. That was an old fantasy that he'd had once, and here it was being played out in front of him. An almost desperate groan slid through his lips as he watched, unable to tear his eyes away for even a moment to do what he was being asked to do.

Suddenly, it was all too much. Lunging forward, Sora's name a moan on his lips, he felt his hands pressing the brunet into the bed as Riku kissed his boyfriend roughly on the mouth. Rough turned into sensual, and he was swirling his tongue around Sora's in the same way he'd swirled it around his boyfriend's erection only moments before.

His body was flexing and twitching, and after a moment of deep kissing he slid his hands down Sora's body to position his legs. Then, grabbing hold of himself, he pressed it carefully against the brunet's opening, his entire body trembling with impatience to be inside.

Still, he paused there, releasing Sora's mouth just enough to ask him, "Are you sure?"

o - o

Sora let out a bit of a surprised noise as Riku dived at him, pressing him into the bed. It was quickly swallowed by Riku's mouth, and a moment later his tongue. Sora himself was quick to recover though, matching the thrusts of Riku's tongue with long, lingering movements of his own.

The moment he felt Riku beneath him, Sora's entire body relaxed as though preparing, already welcoming, although his chest felt like it was on fire from the arousal he was feeling. Riku's tip was hot, very different from the toy he'd just experienced. Sora so desperately wanted to feel the rest of it within.

His boyfriend's quiet inquiry was sweet, he'd think later, but right now, it only delayed what Sora really wanted. He felt himself claw a little at Riku's back, nails scraping as low as he could reach as he used Riku's body as leverage to press against the erection just a little bit more insistently.

"Hurry," he moaned. "I want to feel you inside."

Later, he'd look back on his words with mild embarrassment. For now, Sora didn't know any other way to vocalize his desires than this. He wanted to make love. Or have sex. Or whatever it was supposed to be called between two guys. More than anything, with Riku, he just plain wanted.

o - o

He groaned loudly, everything Sora had to say hitting him hard both in his chest and in his groin. The nails on his back and the longing in his boyfriend's voice were like a knife cutting into Riku's self-control. Suddenly, he was pressing into the brunet's willing body, feeling the heat swallow him as he entered Sora.

Riku's body was trembling, trying to keep it slow as he pressed in and in and in. Reaching between them, more by accident than out of habit, his hand found Sora's cock and wrapped tightly around it just holding on and listening to the brunet moan. The moans coming up his own throat were beyond his control at this point, and he held still as long as he could manage it feeling his boyfriend's body tighten and relax around him.

"Fuck," he gasped.

Riku hadn't quite imagined anything as hot as this ever in his life, at least not with this particular brunet. This was actually Sora. His childhood friend, the one Riku had wanted for years, was opening his lean body to him, and moaning his name.

"God, Sora," he moaned.

He could finally say that name now, in the heat of the moment, without having to see surprise or anger in another set of blue eyes. Riku could finally talk now. What else did he want to say?

_I love you_… no, no, no. Not that, you idiot. This is just sex, and that was what two guys did together when both had the hots for the other. Stop twisting it into something that isn't even a possibility.

A very short time after he'd slid into Sora, he started to move. Riku couldn't hold still anymore, he needed the friction more than anything else in the world; and he needed his boyfriend to say his name… more… just like that. "Nnnnggh, fuck! Sora…"

o - o

So tight. So hot.

The strangeness of the feeling was almost entirely negated by the realization that _Riku was inside of him_. That alone would have caused Sora to moan.

Except it wasn't the only reason when he did next. Riku had wrapped his hand around Sora's own heat, tightening but unmoving.

Everything was still for a moment, except for the sounds of their mutually heavy breaths, and Riku's gasped out words. Every time he spoke, actually, Sora felt a twinge deep in his chest that went deeper than mere arousal or pleasure. He didn't understand it but might've at the same time, assuming it was love.

Love. Love for his childhood friend, love for the person who made him feel this way too. But would Riku return that sentiment, or was it just sex? Just pleasure?

It certainly sounded like at least one the way Riku was talking. Every word was so hot coming from Riku's mouth, and Sora found himself reduced to non-verbal moans in response.

He'd almost forgotten Riku had been still inside him — until the silver haired body above him began slowly to move.

Pain mixed with pleasure as Riku slightly withdrew. "Unnngh, Riku," Sora managed to gasp out. "Oh my god."

Riku hadn't hit that spot yet, but the pressure on Sora's groin from Riku's wrapped fingers was more than enough to make him writhe beneath him.

He wanted to kiss Riku, to wrap his arms around his friend and cry out into his ear. But Riku's hand was between them, and Sora also didn't want that feeling to stop. Instead, he tensed automatically, as though trying to draw Riku's cock further in as it withdrew.

"N-no," he cried. "Deeper. Ple-ease…in f-further."

o - o

Gasping, Riku complied almost automatically to Sora's request. His walking fantasy was asking-_begging_ him to press in deeper, and he wasn't about to disappoint the brunet now. So he slid himself halfway out, groaning as he did so. Sora was so damn tight! Then after only the briefest of pauses, he pushed all the way in, as far as he could go.

He watched his boyfriend's face as he moved, making sure this wasn't something Sora was regretting having asked for, and moaning out loud every time the brunet's body took him back. The pace was killing him though, and it wasn't long before Riku's self-control broke completely.

Leaning over Sora, he kissed whatever parts of the brunet's body he could reach, biting and sucking hard as his hand around his boyfriend's cock finally began to move. Impatiently, he began to thrust into the brunet, his hand increasing at the same pace as his hips. He stopped listening to the words coming out of his mouth, only paying attention to the words and every other delicious sound that came out of Sora's. All of it made him want to take his boyfriend harder and deeper; wanting, wanting, wanting. _Needing_.

"God, Sora. You're so tight. I want to feel you-nnnng! Feel you come! Come for me, Sora. Fuck. You're so hot."

He changed his angle just slightly with every deep thrust, waiting for the telltale scream that would let him know that he'd brushed over that sensitive spot. All the while he was gasping and moaning little things in response to Sora's every action, every word, every gasp, every moan, and watching him with attentive, aquamarine eyes.

o - o

The pain, the pleasure, everything was so intense, it was difficult for Sora to know what he was moaning about and why. The moment Riku thrust in entirely though, blue eyes widened, still hazy with lust and need. There Riku remained for a moment, and Sora let out a long, pained moan in response.

It hurt. God, it hurt. But it was Riku, and he could feel his boyfriend pulsing, hot inside of him, and he didn't care. He just wanted _more_.

Eyes watering a little, Sora refused to blink while Riku's gaze was still fixed on him, would not allow any tears to fall that might end the encounter.

Mercifully, Riku leaned over, kissing and nipping and sucking wherever he could. Relief mixed with pleasure as Sora finally allowed himself to close his eyes, tears trailing slowly out of the corner of each eye.

But then Riku was pumping him, thrusting inside, and it hurt but the stroked movements were so intense, and Sora moaned again, each one a little longer, each one a little more raw when it originated.

With every deep thrust, Sora grunted, or moaned. It killed and he tensed, but then relaxed once again. The only thing keeping him from losing it entirely was Riku's hand on his cock, then later his deep throaty voice and the words that he spoke.

And then, a slight change in position, almost imperceptible if not for the momentary pause. Sora's moan cut off mid-way through, as a shrill cry released from his throat. His body had gone so tense, so tight he didn't quite know how Riku managed to remain inside.

More tears, more forcing himself to relax. Another thrust. This time Sora screamed, his throat starting to feel raw as he reached up, grasping Riku's arms and digging his fingernails in deep.

"Unnngh, oh my god, Riku. Nnn, h-harder." _Hit it again and again and ag—_

Riku was still pounding, hitting that pleasurable spot every time now. As his body began to nearly thrash in response, Sora dug his nails in deeper, not caring if it might leave marks.

And then he was releasing, hot streams onto his own stomach. On the bed. Wherever Riku was directing it.

By the time the intense heat ended, Sora was covered in sweat, painted with his own fluid, light-headed from holding his breath near the end.

And still, the name remained on his lips, was mewled quietly, up a raw throat.

"Riku…"

o - o

Every cry that Sora gave him throbbed deep, going straight to his groin. He felt himself tighten, squeezing his eyes shut as he pounded into his boyfriend, trying not to let every cry hit him so hard that he lost it early. Then something changed, and Sora tightened so hard around him that he did lose it, eyes flying open as he thrust into his boyfriend with a few more fast strokes.

"Oh my god," Riku gasped, eyes widening as he watched Sora come all over his own lovely skin and onto Riku's comforter. He would notice later and point out that now it would have to be washed, but for now he was a little too distracted to care about that. Within seconds he was crying out, body pulsing hard as he came inside of Sora.

When he could think again, he found himself hunched over his boyfriend, face buried in the crook of the brunet's neck and chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath. Raising himself just slightly, he glanced at Sora's face, realizing that they still had one more hurdle to jump before the encounter could be considered a success. He pressed his lips against his boyfriend's skin tenderly, as he slowly pulled out of the brunet's body, groaning as he did it.

Riku looked anxiously into blue eyes then before straightening and turning to pull the condom off, tossing it in the trash as he grabbed the box of wet wipes from the same drawer where he kept his other preparatory objects. He cleaned himself off quickly, tossing the used wipe away, and then turned to Sora.

"This," he said as he pulled a wipe free, "isn't going to be as soft and warm as… well, let's just say I would make you more comfortable if we had a bathroom nearby, but this is all I have."

He'd never, ever apologized for what was available, and Riku felt like a moron. He was going soft, apparently. Still, he couldn't help the reverence with which he touched Sora's naked body as he cleaned the sticky substance off of the brunet's lightly tanned skin, or the way he kept glancing into those blue eyes to make sure it wasn't too cold for his boyfriend. He wanted every part of this night to be perfect for Sora, or as close as he could make it to the way his own memories of this evening were going to be.

o - o

He could feel the heat intensify as Riku came, and although he was already done, Sora cried out again as another surge of pleasure tightened then released in his own gut, reverberating through his own cock.

What the ..._fuck_ was that?

There hadn't been any further release of fluid, but it'd felt just as intense. It left him shaking, breathless as Riku leaned down over him. It left him groaning, almost disappointed when he felt Riku pull out. Wordlessly he watched as Riku cleaned himself up, then moved back to his boyfriend to repeat the courtesy.

He said nothing, just watched, still feeling the strange tingling, the nearly painful sensitivity as Riku slid the wet towelette over his skin.

Then it was Sora's turn to weakly lunge at his boyfriend, pulling Riku down on top of him, all sweaty and warm. And then he was kissing, gently, up the base of Riku's neck. Nuzzling against his throat, almost purring when he spoke.

"I've never felt anything like that before in my life," he whispered.

Sora leaned into Riku, wincing slightly as his senses began to come back to him. Fingers tangled in Riku's silky hair as he sighed contentedly against his best friend's neck.

"I want to do it again and again." _And again and again._ "And try new stuff too, and just, everything. Just with you," he murmured, blue eyes beginning to close, now unaware of the tears they'd leaked out only a little while earlier. He was rambling and his throat was sore, and vaguely Sora was aware of both but didn't care about either. Right now he just wanted Riku, didn't want to think about the impending month without him or anything further than here. Just now.

And, he thought as his consciousness started to drift, if he was really, really lucky, maybe even forever.


	21. Epilogue: Sight of the Sun

**A/N**: **One** - This is officially it for this fic. (Well, kind of. See further below in this note.) I wrote this section completely on my own over the course of the past few weeks, so thanks for your patience and sorry for the slight publication delay. It's the first new section of this story created since early 2012 (holy gawdballs). I hope it adequately ties together some of the questions the rest of the story unfortunately might have left open and that I didn't totally screw up my first attempt at writing some sections from Riku's perspective. I wasn't super comfortable with taking on that role since the rest of the writing from Riku's POV was my ex's. But writing solely from Sora's POV just seemed out of line given the rest of the way this story was formatted. I also didn't particularly feel great about how a secondary character got portrayed throughout this story, so here's my attempt at trying to rectify that just a teeny little bit in this chapter's final section.

**Two** - This is the first time I've written an outright lemon in over three years. I felt completely rusty, and I'm praying it doesn't totally suck.

**Three** - The brief Zexion reference is an explanation of where he ended up after my other fanfic, Bereaved. After what I put him through in that fic, I felt he deserved a hint at a happier ending. Even though Demyx was presumed to be straight in Bereaved and he's only marginally mentioned here, I like to think they both moved out to this new city together and are roomies and close friends now. What can I say? That's just the way my cracktastic brain likes to work.

**Four** - There was one final section of about 7,000 words that was left incomplete in 2012 due to this writing team's breakup that comes immediately after Chapter 20. I think I'm going to post it as-is as bonus material after this epilogue once I get it properly formatted so keep an eye out.

**Five** - I totally should've named my cat Sora because he's just as big of a goofy little spazz. Want proof? Check out the latest photo on his Facebook page. Or all of them, actually (username: siralistairthecat). See the resemblance to a certain keyblade wielder? Yeah, I know. Totally ridiculous.

**Six** - It's been fun, guys, and thanks for all the awesome reviews and PMs. I'd love to hear what you think of my attempt to wrap this all up in the form of a seriously long epilogue, if you feel so inclined to share your thoughts. Oh, and if you want to keep up with my current Kingdom Hearts fan fiction work, my personal FFN username is nicayal.

* * *

><p><em>For once, there is nothing up my sleeve<em>

_Just some scars from a life that used to trouble me_

_I used to run at first sight of the sun_

_Now I lay here, waiting for you to wake up_

"Sight of the Sun" - fun.

* * *

><p><strong>10 years later<strong>

* * *

><p>Light was just beginning to creep through the bedroom shades when Sora opened his eyes. For a moment, he remained still, slowly blinking the last dregs of sleepiness away. It took him a moment longer to realize what day it was, and what this day meant to him, specifically.<p>

His body immediately tensed, a jolt of nervous energy shooting out from his stomach and into his limbs. He'd been waiting what seemed like ages, had been anticipating it with barely concealed eagerness for the past several months.

And yet…

Beside him, another shifted, still asleep, rolling from his back onto one side, taking some of the covers with him. Sora held his breath, but his bedmate didn't awaken. He listened to the steady, deep breaths indicating deep sleep before carefully, noiselessly, sliding out of bed.

Sora dressed quickly, slipping into a pair of tailored jeans and a fitted t-shirt, his days of baggy clothing long ago abandoned in favor of attire more suited to show off his slender figure. He also retrieved a messenger bag at the foot of the bed before taking the stairs by two on the way toward the downstairs entryway. Hesitating by the front door, Sora's eyes darted to the nearest window, scrutinizing. It was sunny out, but there was a haziness to the light. Opting to play it safe rather than sorry when it came to the weather, he snatched a zip-up hoodie off a coat hanger near the door, sliding it on as he made his way out into the early morning air.

The air was brisk for July, and Sora quickly found himself grateful for the added warmth of his sweatshirt. Leave it to San Francisco to be utterly chilly in what should've otherwise been one of the warmest months of the year. It was definitely a change he was still getting used to, compared with childhood summers spend living on the Mid-Atlantic Coast.

He made his way two blocks up toward Market Street, the main throughway that connected the downtown area to his own residence in Duboce Triangle. It was still hard for him to believe the house was his. Theirs, actually. Although Sora had been no stranger to lavish lifestyles growing up, the years in between then and now had been lean, requiring a frugality he'd never before had to endure in order to make ends meet. At least he'd managed to finish college, he thought, even if it'd taken him a little longer than anticipated. He hadn't graduated with a degree from a prestigious university, just one from a local state school, but he _had_ graduated. After the drama with his parents, after the falling out with Kairi as a result, that in itself had been an accomplishment. Ultimately, Riku had helped him afford the completion of his education at the expense of his own.

He passed a pair of neighbors out walking their dog, two men strolling hand-in-hand along the groomed sidewalk in the opposite direction, most likely toward a nearby park. They smiled, waving at him, and he returned both gestures with practiced ease.

His childhood had not prepared him for places like this, areas where it wasn't just acceptable for two men or women to hold hands, but expected. This was a place where people even came from out of town, to view historically significant LGBT landmarks but also to go clubbing or out to dinner in the evenings. This was a place he was finally starting to see as home.

Reaching Market Street, Sora waited for the traffic light to change, eyeing passersby who were also out this early, a few of them straight, but most were gay locals he recognized. Then there was Sora who ended up falling somewhere in between. It'd taken him awhile to accept that orientation wasn't always as black and white for some people as it was for others.

And in some weird, screwed up way, he mused, none of this would have been possible if not for Kairi, without what was at the time an agonizing, life changing betrayal. Idly, he wondered if his childhood friend realized just how much she had changed his life, first for the worse, but ultimately for the better. And, if not, one of these days he was really, truly determined to make sure to tell her.

He crossed Market, quickening his pace, passing two gyms and one therapy center that oversaw support groups for virtually every conceivable demographic of the LGBT community, before ducking into a small bakery on the corner of two intersecting streets.

The smell of coffee and fresh, doughy bread teased his senses as he made his way up to the counter to order two long loafs of bread and a bag of dark roast coffee beans. Depositing his purchases into his messenger bag, Sora exited the bakery, taking a shortcut home that would lead him straight to his last errand, assuming it happened to be open this early on a Sunday morning.

Fortunately, the small flower stand was just opening, its owner circling the modest portable space as he organized his wares for the day in aesthetically pleasing arrangements.

Sora was almost upon him when the seller turned and, seeing his first potential customer, broke into a wide, welcoming smile.

"Darling," the pink-haired man said, "it's certainly been awhile."

"Hey, Marluxia," Sora said, offering the seller a friendly smile. "Yeah, Riku and I have been in super deep with work on the business lately."

Marluxia made a sympathetic sound at the back of his throat. "Isn't that why you hired that numbers guy you mentioned last time? To help lighten the load?"

"He's been great so far, yeah, but we're still pretty busy," Sora replied, nodding. "He has a background in web development too, so he's been a lifesaver for Riku with troubleshooting some of the back-end stuff that I personally…" here, Sora chuckled quietly. "…have pretty much zero clue about."

Zexion had definitely been a lucky find, Sora thought. Even more coincidentally, he happened to be an alumnus from their first school, had ended up in the Bay Area, his ever-present blond musician friend in tow, just a few months after Sora and Riku had arrived themselves. It was weird to think there had been other gay guys on campus, just quietly getting through classes, trying not to stand out, Sora thought. It hadn't been something he'd ever been good at, staying quiet about anything as integral to his identity as who he chose to love. Zexion was definitely more circumspect than him though, that was for sure. Just like Riku. Sora guessed that's why he, on the other hand, had always excelled at more front-facing aspects of their business, in marketing and public relations, while Riku and Zexion worked on keeping everything together behind the scenes with the app's actual framework.

"You and me both," Marluxia said, breaking Sora out of his thoughts. "Give me people over Python or Pascal, or whatever language you're using to code that app of yours, any day of the week."

Sora grinned. "So, maybe I went into the wrong field then, 'cause it seems like you know everyone around here, Marly."

The man turned to wave to another pair of passersby before shooting Sora a flirty, good-natured look. "Only the cute ones worth talking to, sweetie, of course."

"Of course," Sora echoed, bouncing on his heels in place a little as his eyes traveled over Marluxia's floral wares.

"Ah, you've come to buy something today," Marluxia said, homing in on Sora's line of sight with the expertise of a businessman aware of how to spot the possibility of a sale.

Sora nodded. "We've got company later, so I was thinking an arrangement might brighten up the kitchen. Maybe the guest room too," he added.

"Any particular color preference?" Sora could already see Marluxia's mind working its way through an array of options.

"Not really," Sora replied, eyeing a batch of brightly colors flowers nearby. They were a reddish orange and reminded him of the sunsets he and Riku would often hike up neighboring Twin Peaks to see, along with the entire span of the city spread out before them as an added, breathtaking bonus. "Although I do like these orange ones," he ended up adding.

"Lovely choice," Marluxia said. "I can put together an arrangement in that palette for the kitchen. Then something similar, maybe a little more muted for the bedroom?"

Sora inclined his head in agreement. "That sounds good. Sure."

The florist got to work while Sora waited, sliding his hand under his messenger bag strap to adjust it into a more comfortable position on his shoulder. Truth be told, he was getting a little antsy at the thought of this upcoming reunion. This was the first time anyone from back home — anyone from what he now considered his past life, even — had come to visit. It had been almost a decade now, and although he was hopeful, he still didn't entirely have a good idea of what to expect.

Marluxia hummed as he worked, clipping flower stems and scrutinizing their placement within two translucent vases. As he waited, Sora found himself fiddling idly with the dark onyx ring on his right hand. Riku had a matching one, something they'd gifted one another a few years ago, not so much an indication of engagement as a promise, very simply, to always be there for one another.

"Okay," Marluxia said, straightening and turning back toward Sora. "What do you think?"

True to his word, Marluxia had created one arrangement of brilliant red-orange flowers, their vivid coloring complemented by the papery delicateness of the flowers he'd chosen.

"Those are poppies, right?" Sora asked, pointing toward the first arrangement. "And the others," he said, turning to the taller, lighter set, "are…tulips?"

"Good eye! Both are right."

Sora offered Marluxia a bright grin. "Well, I do come around here pretty often," he said. "And I think they both look great. How much do I owe you?"

Marluxia quoted a figure, and Sora passed him payment, watching as the pink-haired man slid his credit card through the white square payment reader attached to his smartphone. "I'll email you the receipt," Marluxia said before turning and helping load both floral arrangements into Sora's waiting arms. He shot Sora a smile before the brunet turned to depart, calling out a farewell before returning to his kiosk. "Have a good time with your guests, dear."

o - o

The house was still silent when Sora got back, flower arrangements, bread, and coffee in hand. He slipped into the kitchen quietly, setting the first vase on the countertop overlooking the open space that encompassed their dining and living room, centering the arrangement so it was clearly visible from the other room. Placing a baguette on the counter next to the flowers, Sora stowed the second loaf away with the bag of coffee beans as he quickly sifted through and removed the contents of his bag.

Then he was quietly making his way back up the stairs and setting the second vase of flowers on a side table in the guest bedroom, before returning to his own.

Riku was still asleep when he entered the room. Sora glanced at the clock, then over to the laptop charging nearby. They'd all been working so much overtime as usage of the app they'd created had picked up and it'd begun to generate some interest and money from investors. That meant late nights in front of the computer, especially for Riku as he tried to address every new bug users encountered, even on Saturdays, their usual night to go out. As Sora approached his side of the bed, he noted the eye mask near his pillow, remembering how he'd used it to block out the glowing light of Riku's computer screen as he admitted defeat and called it a night earlier on in the evening prior.

Carefully, Sora slid back into the bed, pressing his clothed chest against the bare skin of Riku's upper back as he wrapped his arms around his partner and began to slowly kiss his neck.

Riku stirred, made an indistinguishable, muffled sound against the blankets as he stretched each one of his legs in tandem.

"Morning," Sora murmured, continuing to offer affection, trailing his lips from the base of Riku's throat on higher up his neck. He felt Riku press back into him before choosing to speak after a moment's pause.

"Why are you wearing jeans in bed?" The question came out as a testy grumble, had clearly not been what his partner had been expecting.

Sora slid his left hand under Riku's arm, fingers traveling over the muscled skin of his partner's chest. "I went out to get some breakfast food," he said, stifling a groan as Riku pressed his backside more forcefully into his lap. "…and flowers."

He saw Riku open his eyes, blinking rapidly for a moment as he tried to focus on the nearby clock. He closed them a moment later, let out a frustrated groan of his own. "It's too early to be up. They're not even going to be here yet for hours."

Sora let out a hot, exhalation of breath against Riku's ear. "But I'm already awake," he said, voice lowering dangerously close to a purr. "And I kind of want to play." As one hand slid lower, from Riku's chest to his stomach and then began to tease around the band of his boxer-briefs, Sora reached for the eye mask, slipping it over Riku's head in one, practiced movement with his other.

He could see Riku's mouth open, as though to protest. Moving quickly, Sora pulled Riku from his side onto his back, pressing their lips together before his boyfriend could get a word out. At the same time, his free hand moved lower, over the fabric of Riku's underwear as he cupped his boyfriend, then began to teasingly rub.

He felt Riku tense a moment, before settling into the kiss. It had been years since Riku had stopped him from taking control, but the expectation of that kind of reaction still ominously lingered, a troubling thought at the edge of his memory, and a reminder of just how much they'd both had to learn to trust each other in these most intimate moments they so often shared together.

Sora felt Riku's hands begin to work at the top button of his jeans. Just as quickly, he paused with his rubbing and swatted them away.

"No touching allowed," he said, voice light and teasing, before returning to kiss his boyfriend's face. "Unless you want to be completely tied up."

There was still tension visible in Riku's jawline in response to his words. Sora could feel it as he worked over the man's face with gentle, exploring lips. Out of the corner of an eye, Sora saw one of Riku's hands ball into a fist, as though unconsciously treating the teasing comment like an offered challenge. As he returned his attention with increased vigor to Riku's boxers, Sora felt a sense of satisfaction at seeing his boyfriend's balled up fingers gradually, one by one, begin to release.

"Sora…" Riku exhaled his name in a longing breath. At one time it would have been spoken in a warning tone. Now, Sora noted, it was much less threatening, rather more a verbal indication of his boyfriend's yearning need.

"Hmm," Sora purred, returning to Riku's mouth as his hand slipped under the elastic band of the only piece of thin fabric Riku was currently wearing. His hand closed over Riku's steadily growing length at the same moment his tongue sought entrance to Riku's mouth. Then, one slow stroke after another, savoring the hot arousal beginning to pulse and grow within his fingers, Sora felt an initial vibration, then the muffled sound of Riku's first outright moan.

Sora paused, moved momentarily away and responded with a toothy grin to the frustrated sound from the lack of contact that Riku had just made at the back of his throat. He quickly tugged off his shirt, then unbuttoned and slid out of his jeans, kicking them onto the floor at the foot of their bed, before retrieving a small, tinted bottle from his bedside nightstand. He was quick to return to his impatient boyfriend, noting the clear outline of Riku's arousal pressed in place against his lap by the unyielding fabric of his form-fitting underpants.

Swinging one leg up and over Riku's hips, Sora straddled the blindfolded man and placed the bottle off to one side before pressing the weight of his small hands against the supple muscle of Riku's shoulders. In the same breath, he also lowered his hips down to Riku's lap and began a slow, teasing grind.

Riku moaned his name again, but Sora kept up the languorous pace, enjoying the friction and heat both arousals were generating just below their waists.

"So impatient, Riku," Sora chided, a hot exhalation of breath against the side of his lover's face a moment before tonguing the shell of Riku's closest ear. He felt Riku's hips buck beneath him, adding more pressure directly to Sora's own hardening cock.

This time, it was Sora's turn to moan and return the gesture, increasing the pace as he started to grind harder.

"Do you know how violently I want to fuck you into the bed right now?"

Riku's words were spoken slowly, in a low, resonate tone. Sora felt a burst of aroused heat begin to spread out into his limbs from his chest in response. Slowly, he slid his body downward, lowering his face to plant hot, wet kisses on Riku's shoulder and collar, paying particular attention to his chest and both nipples in the process. As he dragged himself down further, Sora could feel the heat of Riku's erection pressing in an almost insistent manner up against his bare chest.

"Yeah, I think the sentiment's pretty clear," he quipped, before licking his lips in an unconscious display of anticipation. "Good thing it's my turn to be in charge now, huh?"

Riku's only response was a sardonic scowl, followed by a quiet, frustrated moan.

Fluttering his fingers experimentally over the strip of elastic fabric band, Sora inclined his head and took in a breath, appreciating his boyfriend's distinctive scent. Gently, he placed his mouth at the base of Riku's erection, kissing slowly upward over the taut span of the silky fabric.

Riku's hips pressed upward again as he sucked in a sharp breath. The actions drew Sora's eyes up, past the defined muscles of his partner's upper body and to the sharp lines of what he could see of Riku's face. Silver hair was spread out around the pillow, messy, sleep-mussed tendrils adding to the feral appearance of the man's already fierce looks. From Sora's vantage point, the sleep mask was a simple black strip covering Riku's aquamarine eyes. This, quite simply, was an image of everything he loved spread out in full view before him.

Suddenly impatient himself, Sora slipped his fingers under the edge of the underwear band, lifting the fabric, then pulling it down and off Riku's legs. He wasted no time wrapping a hand around Riku's length again as he slowly began to stroke. This time, Riku remained curiously silent. As he quickened the rhythmic pace, Sora looked up again, surveying the man before him to gauge his next move.

Riku was tensing again, Sora noted, his jaw tightly clenched. How many times had he seen this, his boyfriend's ingrained habit to remain in control over his own body's reactions to pleasure? Over the years, it happened with increasing infrequency, but the inclination hadn't disappeared in full entirety just yet.

Still stroking, Sora reached for the bottle, careful not to alert Riku of what he'd just done via any of his non-visual senses.

"Riku…" Sora murmured, popping open the bottle simultaneously to muffle the sound. "I love you."

Riku's jaw relaxed, the words seeming to serve as a reminder of where he was, of who he was with.

"I love you, t—"

Sora didn't wait to hear the end of the reply, instead quickly stroking downward and taking the remaining half of Riku's length into the hot confines of his mouth.

The resounding moan it elicited was satisfyingly melodic to his ears, and it took Sora considerable effort to stifle his own reactionary moan as he continued to lick and suck and taste over Riku's entire length. He remembered with light amusement how this salty, masculine flavor had once been enough to make him hesitate. Now he relished the taste and every other aspect of this kind of intimacy, whether they called it sex, or fucking, or simply making love once in awhile when feeling particularly sentimental.

Riku's hips soon began to match the pace Sora had set with his mouth. There was a time when this would have most assuredly led to Sora receiving orders, maybe even feeling Riku's hands at the back of his head guiding his cock deeper, more chokingly into the back of Sora's throat, regardless of the rules that he'd already initially set. Then again, Sora thought as he slid his tongue over the slit at the top of Riku's head, momentarily pausing to enjoy appreciate the briny tang of pre-come, there was also a time when he would have let Riku take control without objection. But that was awhile ago, when their relationship was on considerably less equal ground than it seemed to be now.

"Sora, _nnnh_-god," Riku murmured, head thrown back and throat clearly exposed. "I'm…_fuck_, getting so close."

Quickly squeezing a generous amount of lube onto one hand, Sora proceeded to replace his mouth with a long upward stroke of his other hand. "Then you'd better take off that mask so I can be sure you get to watch."

Riku let out a shuddering breath but was quick to comply, pushing the sleeping mask up and away from his face. He propped himself on his elbows, then met Sora's gaze. At first, they simply took one another in, sharing a silently intimate moment, before Sora shot his best friend a teasing grin and began to go to work with his mouth on the tight skin of Riku's cock once again. This time, as one hand slipped between Riku's legs searchingly, Sora kept his eyes trained upward, across the bed at Riku. Aquamarine eyes were locked on his, seemed to be only half-focused through the haze of his currently aroused state.

As Sora began to massage the tight muscle at Riku's entrance, he felt his boyfriend tense, then noticeably exhale as if willing himself to relax. It was at that moment that he slipped his first finger inside up to the second knuckle. He knew Riku could take more, but by now Sora had learned to gauge Riku's reactions before proceeding too far, to interpret the tension in his body and know when penetration was just something that might be better discontinued in favor of something less triggering.

He'd been so angry at first, finding out how painful Riku's first few intimate encounters had been. For Sora, it more than explained the initial refusal to ever allow anyone to penetrate him in college. And, with the realization that Riku had purposefully been careful to ensure their first time together in that way had been as enjoyable as possible, the feelings of anger and helplessness had more often than not in the beginning congealed into outright guilt for not having understood his own attractions earlier, even though Sora knew it wasn't realistic to believe it was his job to have prevented any of it.

Riku didn't balk this morning at Sora's actions, simply dropped his head back to the pillows underneath him, bending his knees slightly to give Sora an easier angle to enter him from. Sora slid a second finger in alongside his first at the same time that he opened his throat, taking Riku's length in as far as it would go. A mixture of mild discomfort coupled with the promise of increasing pleasure was the most effective way to go about this. It was Riku who'd taught him this right at the beginning of their relationship, now so long ago.

Sliding his digits in as far as they would go, Sora began gently fingering Riku, making a slow back and forth motion as he started to alternate between running his tongue upward and over the slit at Riku's head and engulfing his boyfriend's cock in a wet, sucking motion on the way back down. As Riku's moans began to come sooner and sooner, one aroused, longing sound after the other, Sora found his free hand drifting downward, slipping under the band of his own underwear so he could also start to jerk himself off.

"Yeah, that's it," Sora heard Riku say, voice now a low, silken purr. He felt a hand tangle in a fistful of hair at the back of his head. It remained there, following the up and down motions of Sora's mouth, but didn't make any move to exert a new, increased pace or any control of its own. "Keep doing that," Riku gasped out, "and I'm going to come down your throat."

Sora felt the responding vibrations of his own involuntary moan against the hot skin of Riku's cock. Gripping his own length and beginning to stroke even more quickly, Sora pulled his fingers out of Riku, then repeatedly began to thrust them right back in. He only had a moment to prepare himself before Riku's first, salty release. Sora swallowed the initial load with visible enthusiasm. As the second spurt of fluid came, he pressed Riku's cock deeper into his throat, making a soft choking sound as he tried to deepthroat his boyfriend's length and at the same time swallow every drop of his release. He felt Riku's hips buck up toward his mouth one final time before settling, exhausted, back down against the bedsheets.

It was the satisfied, spent expression in his boyfriend's aquamarine eyes that finally pushed Sora over the edge of his own arousal. Before long, he cried out himself as he rode the wave of his own climax, feeling the heat of his erection pulsing an almost rhythmic beat in his hand as he came.

He had just enough energy to remove his boxers, to wipe any lingering streams of fluid off his now uncovered body as well as the lube from his fingers, before Sora found himself half-collapsing onto one side of his boyfriend's upper body. For a moment, they remained where they had both fallen, Riku on his back, Sora laying sideways and feeling the rise and fall of the heavy breaths straight from his lover's chest. Soon after, he felt strong arms embrace him, pulling him further upward. Lips met his sweat-dampened forehead, kissing with patent tenderness.

"Okay," Sora said, words coming out in an audibly breathless pant, "Now I'm starting to feel a little tired."

"Shocker." He heard Riku quietly chuckle, then felt the subtle curve of Riku's lips against his forehead as they rose upward, no doubt into the beginnings of a well-practiced smirk.

Squirming a little in place, trying to get comfortable, Sora settled into the crook of Riku's shoulder. "Oh hush. You liked it," he said, eyes heavy and beginning to close.

Later, he couldn't be sure if he'd heard the word or simply dreamed it, but as he began to drift back into a satisfied, comfortable sleep, Sora could have sworn that he heard one syllable spoken in quiet response, nearly concealed in its entirety behind the hint of a husky, contented sigh.

"Truth."

o - o

It was Riku who woke first, slowly opening bleary, heavily lidded eyes as he tried to adjust to the brightness of light in the room. At first, he remained in place on his back, unmoving as he tried to get his bearings. A moment later, he locked the joints of his legs, feeling his muscles tighten, then release, as he worked his way through the much needed stretch.

Still asleep, his boyfriend shifted beside him. From Riku's vantage point, he could see a shock of messy brown hair and the slender line of Sora's shoulder where it connected with his chest. His eyes followed the path from chest to waist and on to one hip, taking in the sight with an appreciative scrutiny. Through the years, Sora had filled out a little, had put on muscle when he'd started accompanying Riku on his daily trips to the gym. The muscle definition was lithe though, and subtle, hardly visible beneath Sora's clothed frame, even after he'd stopped wearing the baggiest pants known to man in favor of more complementary, form-fitting options.

Then again, with the way Sora would swing his hips when he was feeling flirty while they were out at bars and clubs, Riku hardly needed much imagination to remind himself of what his boyfriend's body looked like, regardless of how visibly his muscle definition showed up or not beneath his chosen clothes.

Lowering his chin, Riku kissed the crown of Sora's head. His boyfriend smelled faintly of both sweat and sex. The realization made the arm on which Sora was sleeping flex, as Riku drew his partner in on closer toward him.

"Sora," he murmured, cheek still pressed up against the brunet's hair, "we should probably think about getting up."

Next to him, Riku heard Sora yawn, his muscles going rigid as he stretched his own limbs. "What time's it?" Sora asked, his voice a mumbled slur. "Didn't mean to fall back to sleep anyway..."

"Time for a shower," Riku said, gently disentangling himself from Sora. "Thanks to your little stunt this morning, we're definitely both going to need it."

Eyes finally open, Sora glanced up. "Oh. Right…sorry about that." The words would have sounded more sheepish, more sincerely apologetic, if not for the silly little grin that followed along with them.

Riku merely rolled his eyes in response as he slid off his side of the bed. "Like hell you are, I'll bet."

Sora rolled over, from his side to his back, full-out stretching as he left the front of his body completely exposed to Riku's traveling gaze. Noting his boyfriend's silent attention, Sora shot Riku a flirty look, letting a hand travel down his chest and come to the rest at the top of one of his thighs. "Next time, I'll let you do what you want to me," he said, eyes flickering, salaciously blue, as his tongue momentarily appeared, sliding temptingly over his lips. "What was it you said again? Something about fucking me into the bed?"

Making his way around the room and over to Sora's side of the bed, Riku leaned forward, pressing his mouth against Sora's in a confident, controlling kiss at the same time that one hand wrapped its way possessively around his boyfriend's slender neck. As he broke away from Sora's lips, Riku allowed himself to linger near the side of his boyfriend's face, grip flexing, vice-like, at Sora's throat. "Yeah," he breathed, enjoying the smug sense of satisfaction as he felt the rising flesh of Sora's throat and a tight, accompanying swallow against the rigid cage of his fingers. "Something like that."

A moment later, he released his boyfriend and stepped back to give him space to get out of bed. Sora sat up, dangling his legs off the mattress as the fingers of one hand fluttered almost inquisitively over the place Riku had just been restraining him. Riku doubted it was meant to be purposefully teasing, but the unconscious, innocent motion still seemed to be offering him a tempting little promise that there might be more fun for both of them to engage in later.

Riku turned away, toward the closet to retrieve some clothing, before heading to the bathroom, aware of Sora padding along a few steps behind him. As Riku made his way to the sink and began to brush his teeth, he heard Sora turn the shower on, then open and close its sliding glass door upon entering. Done with his teeth, Riku was soon to follow his boyfriend, slipping into the shower stall right behind him.

His boyfriend was lathering up with body wash by the time he got in. Without a word, Riku moved behind him, arms wrapping around Sora's waist and sliding upward, over his chest and to his shoulders. They remained there a prolonged moment, pressing into the tense muscles he found there.

He felt Sora lean into the massage just a little, before craning his neck to shoot Riku a half-smile. His expression seemed distant though, a bit troubled. It was a direct contrast to the playful attention he'd been exuding earlier.

"Something wrong?" Riku asked as he allowed his hands to move on, spreading the body wash he'd collected across Sora's shoulders and lower on down his back.

Sora sighed, an action Riku noticed more from the rise and fall of his shoulders than the breath's actual sound. "Not really," he said. As he stepped into a more direct line of the water's stream, however, he continued to speak. "I was just wondering if you were feeling nervous about seeing her again."

Ah. So that was it. Switching places with Sora, Riku reached for a bottle of shampoo, lathering a generous portion into his hair. "Not really," he said, which was true. For a moment, he was tempted to supplement, to let Sora know how much he really didn't give two fucks about Kairi after how they'd both been treated the last time they'd seen her. For his boyfriend's sake, he held back the vitriolic words. If this was important to Sora, it was at least a little important to him by extension. As he felt Sora's hands reach for him, slippery and gentle as they returned the favor and spread body wash over his back, Riku offered his boyfriend a more introspective thought on the matter. "This is our home. It's our city she's visiting. If anything, she'll probably be less sure of how to react than we should be."

"True," Sora murmured, still sounding uncertain. As Riku finished washing off, he turned back to Sora, planning to ask if he was done. Before he could react, he felt arms encircling him as his boyfriend pulled him into a tight hug, wet hair sticking out at odd angles as Sora leaned his full weight into his shoulder. For a moment, Riku froze in place, surprised by the sudden, affectionate action. Unbidden, thoughts of relationships he'd had before starting to date Sora flashed through Riku's mind - if those encounters could even be considered relationships, come to think, Riku figured.

This was so different for him, even now, years after he felt like he should have gotten used to it. Sora's easy, enduring affection, and the way he seemed to wholeheartedly share his feelings without apparent compunction, still sometimes managed to surprise him. Years ago, he'd never imagined this kind of outcome for himself, had accepted that there would always be something important missing from his life if he was fully open about his attractions, if he ever resolved to come out to everyone as genuinely, sincerely, himself.

Even with Sora by his side, it hadn't been easy by any stretch of the imagination. Both had dealt with their fair share of family rejection. Years into their relationship, Riku had still expected Sora to leave, one day just get fed up with Riku's emotional and intimacy-related hangups and walk straight out the door toward something less complicated, to someone who more outwardly expressed affection toward Sora the way Riku knew his boyfriend unquestionably deserved.

But Sora had stayed, and, over time, Riku had realized it was possible to change. It just took time, with a healthy dose of patience and support in between. It was a good thing, Riku mused as he looked down at his best friend now, that Sora didn't seem to be unwilling to offer up any of those things.

So, even though Riku didn't share Sora's hesitation about this upcoming reunion, he found himself returning the gesture, offering comfort for his boyfriend's benefit and wrapping his arms around Sora's upper back, neck inclined to rest his cheek on the top of his best friend's head. There Riku remained, as water fell around both of them, content to hold Sora protectively, possessively, for as long as the brunet decided he needed it.

o - o

Much later that evening, after helping move luggage into the guest rooms, then enjoying the lavish meal that Sora had by now been meticulously planning for weeks, they retired to the living room, each adult taking a chair to continue conversing. Except Sora, Riku noted with a hint of amusement. His boyfriend had opted to spread out on the nearby rug, next to the accompanying children, as he watched the two of them play a handheld video game, from time to time offering commentary and encouragement with unadulterated enthusiasm.

During a lull in the conversation, Kairi glanced up at the nearby mantle clock. "Tidus," she said, giving her husband a pointed look. "I think it may be time for the kids to get ready for B - E - D."

The younger of the children, a girl of four, looked up, head tilted to one side as she tried to make sense of the mysterious word. By her side, her older brother rolled his eyes. "Too easy, Mom," he said.

Propping his chin up in his hands, elbows bracing himself as he lay on his stomach on the floor beside them, Sora shot both kids a look of mock confusion. "Why does she want you to get ready for …Deb?"

His nephew's eyes widened in surprise. "_Bed_, uncle Sora! B - E - D spells bed!"

Sora turned toward his little niece, a good-natured, somewhat conspiratorial expression passing across his features. "Bed? That's what that word was? You've got to be kidding me. Who'd want to get ready for _that_?"

The girl giggled, clearly delighted, before turning to her mother. "Yeah, mommy! We don't want to go to bed _or_ get ready for Deb!"

Her brother crossed his arms and shot her a lordly look. "That's not what that word mean—"

"_Thank you_, uncle Sora," Kairi interjected, speaking over her son. "I have a feeling she'll be repeating this new joke for weeks."

Sora stood, a wide smile on his face. He offered Kairi an exaggerated bow. "All in a day's work, your highness." The comment elicited another burst of giggles from one child, and the hint of an emerging smile from the other.

Sora made his way over toward the stairs, waving to both kids with one hand. "C'mon, guys. Gotta get to bed now so you can be rested up for the park and beach tomorrow."

Riku watched as both kids jumped up, scampering toward Sora with expressions of matching eagerness. Nearby, Tidus also stood. "I'll go help him," he said. Riku watched without comment as the man gave Kairi a meaningful look. "Those two can be a handful."

Then it was just the two of them alone, the silence quickly spreading out in the space between them both before Kairi finally opted to speak up and end it.

"If only it were that easy to get them to bed back home," she commented, her tone conversational, light. Despite this, Riku thought he could sense an underlying note of hesitation as her eyes quickly darted away from him and back down toward the floor.

Beside her, Riku merely nodded. He had no experience with children, wouldn't know how to handle them if he was ever actually asked. Where Sora was naturally good with kids, Riku suspected he wouldn't have the requisite patience to deal with them for very long. Sometimes even some of his boyfriend's more childish antics annoyed him. But at least Sora could usually be reasoned logically with. The same couldn't, he assumed, be said for most actual kids.

Glancing over at Kairi, Riku noticed her obvious discomfort. She always tended to fiddle with a random piece of jewelry she was wearing whenever something made her anxious. This time it was a small cross hanging from a gold chain on her neck, her fingers rubbing it at a frenetic, anxious pace.

Stifling a sigh, all the while reminding himself he had agreed to play nice for Sora's benefit, Riku offered Kairi something she might be able to work with in the form of a polite, conversational reply. "They seem like good kids," he said, the words feeling awkward even to his own ears. Riku wasn't used to speaking without purpose, even just for the sake of socialization. "But they also seem to have a lot of energy," he couldn't help tacking on.

Kairi looked up, expression initially unreadable, before gradually smiling and nodding her agreement. "They are. And Sora's just so good with them."

"No surprise there," Riku said, leaning back in his chair and crossing one leg over the other. "It's sort of his default state to act like a kid himself." His tone hinted at friendly sarcasm, yet he still found himself watching Kairi with a healthy level of circumspection.

Seeming to pick up on his underlying mood, Kairi's smile faltered but she steadfastly held Riku's gaze. For a moment they simply regarded each other in silence, as Riku held the urge to cross his arms one on top of the other over his chest in careful check.

Kairi cleared her throat, shifted her weight slightly in the chair across from him. "I realize I never said I was sorry after all these years," she finally said, changing the subject, her cheeks flushing a subtle color as she spoke. "And," she continued, "as time goes on, it's been wearing on me more and more."

Watching her with a wary gaze, Riku took a moment to compose his thoughts before offering a response. "I'm pretty sure Sora told me you apologized awhile ago, actually." When Kairi didn't initially respond, he spoke up again, voice low, tone subtly flat. "Or, at least, given his relief when you two started talking again, it seems like he managed to get the underlying message."

Kairi shook her head, wine red hair bobbing gently around her chin with the movement. "That's not what I meant," she said, eyes flickering away for a moment before returning with determination to his face. "I already did apologize to Sora, that is, yes. What I was trying to say is that I never once said I'm sorry to you."

Riku froze, shoulders tensing as he held her gaze. He hadn't been expecting this, even though now it seemed obvious that it's what she'd been hinting at it. For once, he found himself at a loss, didn't have a snarky comeback at the ready, had absolutely zero idea what to say. The more cynical side of him wanted to throw her words back at her, eyebrow quirking sarcastically upward. _Well, are you actually? After all these years?_

That side of him was also an admission of emotional weakness though, he realized, clear proof that, even ten years out, her actions then still had the ability to affect him emotionally now.

Unbidden, a memory returned to him, and for a moment Riku could clearly visualize the image of Sora bursting into his dorm room the first day back in school after winter break of their freshman year, a look of outright panic marring his generally laid back, carefree features.

"Riku, Kairi told," Sora had said, an unfathomable, frightened look in his eyes. "Our parents know."

Three words. Three simple words had set in motion a series of decisions and events that had drastically changed both of their lives. And, if Riku was willing to be even a little bit empathetic, he could begrudgingly admit it had probably altered Kairi's pretty substantially as well. Sora and Riku hadn't been the only one who'd lost a friend.

He'd expected Sora to leave him right then, or to at least decide that keeping things on the down-low for the foreseeable future would be best. It would've hurt him a lot, Riku was willing to admit now, but it also would've been worth it if it'd meant being able to stay in Sora's life, even if by simply reverting back to a more platonic form of their prior friendship. Much to his surprise though, the idea of keeping their relationship a secret or denying it entirely hadn't even seemed to cross Sora's mind. And, with that out in the open, it'd only been a matter of time before the threats from their families about taking away their financial support had become a stressful, horrifying reality.

He hadn't even been able to afford to finish college, had simply taught himself various skills in web development through tutorials online and picked up part-time freelance work wherever he could. It'd ensured Sora could continue his own education and eventually earn a degree. At the time, Riku'd had no idea the skills he was honing would end up being so financially lucrative. In a way, it seemed like every new phase of his life had begun with some form of unanticipated revelation of a similar magnitude. For better or worse.

Apparently interpreting his stunned expression as hostile skepticism, Kairi continued on, effectively pulling Riku away from the confusing jumble of thoughts she'd been the one to prompt in the first place. "I really am sorry, Riku…" He looked up just as she hung her head, face an expression of remorseful shame. "I know now I had no right to tell anyone about you two without your permission." She sniffed a little, turned her face half away to swipe at the corner of her eye with the back of one hand.

Oh, _she_ was the one about to cry now, Riku thought with ire, when this had all been completely her fucking fault?

Riku wanted to snap at her, to verbally lash out. It was a little too late for sorries, wasn't it, when the damage had already effectively been done? Unable to help himself, Riku felt his hands ball into fists on both sides of his chair. He took a deep breath in through his nose, letting it slowly out of his mouth, as he reminded himself how important this visit was to Sora. Of course, Sora had been so quick to accept her apology when she's initially offered it, so eager to move forward and on. It was Riku who always let ill feelings linger, allowed each new agony to fester until it seemed to chip away irreparably at more and more of his vulnerable heart.

He was reminded of a time though, still in the early stages of his relationship, when it'd been he who'd needed Sora's forgiveness, for a transgression — an infidelity, in all terrible, reprehensible honesty — that so many others would have never let him forget. It couldn't have been easy, he conceded, but eventually, lovingly, Sora had given him a second chance. Still watching Kairi through stoic, slitted eyes, Riku reminded himself that they'd all been friends once, before hormones and adolescence and the stupid melodramas of high school had effectively worked as a means to push them further apart.

He still didn't understand what her motives for revealing their relationship to both sets of parents had been, wouldn't ever again believe in or return to the religion they'd all been brought up in as children. And he'd never understand how she could live her life so comfortably, so effortlessly, when he'd spent most of his own feeling so out of place, so sinful and altogether, irreparably wrong. But, he supposed as he continued to watch his old friend through the corners of his eyes, maybe it really wasn't necessary to have to understand the individual nuances of one another's personal lives.

In the end, it was thoughts of Sora that compelled Riku to rise up out of his chair and walk toward someone he'd once considered one of his closest friends. He approached Kairi slowly, with the same hesitancy she'd first displayed the moment they'd found themselves alone and more able to privately talk. Looking up, she watched him, eyes shining brightly with tears still unshed. Tentatively, Riku held a hand out to her. He helped her stand. Then they were hugging, their first contact in as long as Riku could conceivably remember. Kairi's shoulders trembled, her body shuddering against Riku's chest as she finally gave in and let herself quietly begin to sob.

And Riku? Riku simply watched as Sora reappeared at the bottom of the stairs, nodding curtly at his boyfriend's inquiring expression as he continued to hold Kairi close to him, offering Sora a silent affirmation that sometime eventually, maybe even soon, they were all going to end up being just fine.


	22. Bonus: The Final 7K

**A/N**: As promised, here's your ToD bonus, unfinished material. Chronologically, this is set immediately after Chapter 20, during Riku's and Sora's winter break. We never finished it (breakups kind of royally eff up awesome, 100K RP stories, huh?), and I don't plan to finish it (and, as far as I know, my ex doesn't even write fanfic anymore). If you don't want to be left hanging, skip this section, read Chapter 20, then head straight to the epilogue. If you want to supplement what you've already read, by all means go ahead and check this section out.

The aim was to start seeing Sora slowly testing his limits and the control Riku was willing to allow him in their relationship (along with hinting at the traumatic experiences of Riku's first intimate encounters when he was younger), then both having to deal with the bombshell of having their religious, conservative parents find out about their relationship, necessitating them to make a decision about covering up their attraction to one another or remaining publicly out and facing the consequences of that decision. If you want to know which option they chose, look no further than the epilogue.

(Also, I'm not entirely sure, but I think there may have been some misrepresentation of Sora's younger sister Mai's age in some of the middle chapters. For reference, she's supposed to be 16ish here as she was around 12 during the kiss Sora and Riku got dared with in this story's prologue…just to clear up any confusion in that regard. Sorry. I seriously haven't gone back to read this story in its entirety for years.)

Again, thanks for reading and commenting, guys. This story may be over, but I'm in no way done writing Sora, Riku, or even Kairi in my stories. In fact, I already have some up on my personal FFN account (username: nicayal). Can't be stopped, yo.

* * *

><p>He hadn't gotten to kiss the person he would've liked to on New Years Eve, but that aside, Sora thought the evening had gone relatively well.<p>

Family and friends had met at Riku's parents' home this time around. It was always on a rotating schedule between their three families. Although his mother sometimes complained that Riku's home was far too small to be holding parties, Sora knew that was just her inner competitiveness with Riku's mother coming out. Personally, Sora liked Riku's home. Yes, it was smaller, but it was also a whole lot cozier than his family's large New England estate. And after 3 months of living in a cramped dorm room, Riku's place wasn't looking that shabby, personally.

For the first time in years though, Sora really wanted the festivities to hurry up and be over. He was spending the night at Riku's after this was all gone and done. It sent a thrill up his back to think about. They'd been home a week and a half with hardly any contact. Sora was going crazy, just wanting to be able to give his friend a hug and being unable to do so.

At first he'd been worried that Kairi would say something to their parents, but his other best friend had been somewhat quiet, simply watching them both with a wary expression. He didn't understand what the big deal was, really. His and Kairi's relationship had been somewhat stagnant almost the moment of its inception onward. Unlike with Riku, Sora found it really difficult to be intimate with Kairi. It felt too much like a brother-sister relationship between them for his comfort. He couldn't actually say why it ended up feeling different with Riku, just that it did and it was wonderful.

So, when the ball dropped on the East Coast, Sora wanted nothing more than to be able to give his new boyfriend a kiss. What he got instead was one of his younger sister Mai's friends. And Mai, of course, took Riku, which was pretty obvious from the start since she'd been eyeing him all evening. Both were just quick pecks on the lips. Sora was able to brush his off with a smile and a bit of a cheeky grin Riku's way. Riku looked decidedly less pleased, but Sora figured that was normal for him as well.

By the time the guests started petering out, Sora was more than happy to head upstairs to Riku's modest room. With a devilish grin, Sora turned the moment the door was closed and gave his boyfriend a sweet kiss on the lips. "Happy New Year, Riku," he said, his voice soft with affection and longing. "For real this time."

o - o

Keeping his mouth shut all evening had been a hassle, particularly when someone molested his lips without his permission. If his parents ever had the balls to try to shove him into a relationship with that little spoiled brat of a little sister Sora had, Riku would quite happily tell them all precisely what he thought of her. Then again, would that upset his new boyfriend?

Instead, he made a point of getting up and sitting as far away from the silly girl as he could the moment she touched her lips to his, which made him feel slightly better, especially when she began to look a little hurt by it. Ugh. Fucking teenage girls! He had thought that graduating high school would have rid himself of the annoyances that they'd always been for him, but here he was with a new stalker nonetheless. Damn family relations, too!

The entire time the New Year's toasting was going on, the chatting, and after far, far too long saying goodbyes Riku felt as though he would snap from all of the tensing he was doing to keep himself from touching Sora. It was driving him crazy, actually. His hands kept clenching into fists, and his body was tight.

So the moment everyone left and his door closed, it was actually a pretty big shock that the brunet got to his mouth first. It was only a slight win, however, because as those lips worked against his softly, Riku pounced, pinning Sora hard against his own door, and deepening the kiss before making it a harder and more frantic thing.

He continued kissing Sora like that until he really needed to come up for air, breathing hard when their mouths broke apart, and pulling the brunet away from the door after making sure he'd locked it. That spot was a bad one; too easy for someone to overhear them right there.

Without realizing what he'd begun to do, Riku found himself pressing his boyfriend down onto his bed, and purring a "Happy New Year, Sora" back to his boyfriend as he did. It was strange being back in this room. The last time he was here, the brunet in front of him had been on his mind, too. Remembering how and why sent a shiver of pleasure down his spine when he realized that he wouldn't have to hide that he'd done something like that from Sora ever again. They might even be able to do it over the phone next time…

"You know," he began, crawling over Sora toward his pillows, and letting the heavy bed curtains fall shut to muffle sounds that he might cause within them. "The last time I was in this bed, I was thinking about you."

Riku paused here to kiss Sora hard, slowly pressing his body down atop the brunet's and grinding slowly. "The last time I was here, I had to call you." Another pause, another kiss, this time on the brunet's neck. "The last time I was here, I touched myself just thinking about you."

o - o

By now, he probably should have expected it. By now, Sora was well aware that Riku liked putting pressure into kisses, making everything that he did pretty rough by extension.

Still, after a week of being apart due to familial responsibilities and the holidays, Sora was taken a little by surprise. Automatically, he let Riku press him into the door and be kissed. It was just as easy to let himself be pulled over to the bed, breathless from such intense kisses from a moment earlier.

The talking was different though, more conversational than most of what he'd heard Riku use when they'd been together in the past. Sora didn't initially know what Riku was getting at after his first words, didn't really care for the most part either. As Riku crawled over him, Sora slid his hands under his boyfriend's crisply pressed shirt, pulling it up and out of his pants as he went. Then it was just smooth, muscled flesh against his palms as he rushed to get reacquainted with Riku's body once more.

He returned Riku's hard kiss just as enthusiastically, began to breathe hard as Riku ground against him, still not really understanding why Riku was bringing Thanksgiving back up. Hadn't that been an embarrassing moment in their relationship, getting interrupted halfway through?

Another kiss, this time at his neck. Another set of words that, after registering, caused an involuntary hitch in his breath as Sora's entire body heated up in under a second flat.

_Did he just say what I think he…oh my god._

Riku's hips met his again, grinding slowly, and Sora moaned, a soft little sound at the back of his throat, at the thought of Riku touching himself, thinking of him.

"You mean, wh-while we were…nnng-on the phone," he managed to gasp out questioningly. Had Riku seriously been doing that while they'd been talking? The thought was hotter than he could have ever imagined.

And then a shiver as he felt another kiss at a sensitive spot on his neck. And a breathless confession, as he began to grind back against Riku's lap. "I've…hnng…done that before too…thinking about you."

o - o

"No, before I called you," Riku answered before dragging his teeth across Sora's collarbone, and then biting down. "But if you'd like, we could always try it with you on the other end."

His voice was a teasing purr meant to excite the brunet at the possibility, since it seemed very much like his boyfriend liked the sound of that already just by the way Sora had asked the question. The whole time, Riku was actually quite proud of how well he was keeping himself in check, teasing slowly in a way he was not usually very good at. Then the brunet had to go and tell him that those lovely hands that were now sliding underneath his shirt had done the same thing to thoughts of him.

The image that that thought put into Riku's had a completely different effect on him than he expected, and the next moment he found himself pressing down against his boyfriend, kissing hard and exploring frantically as he ground against Sora's hips. The intermittent moans that slid between their lips were very much in response to that thought as well, and to the friction being created between their bodies.

Hopefully the curtains, the wall, and the hallway between them would keep these noises away from his parents' ears, but Riku was paranoid so he slowed down a bit. It was agonizing to have to do it, but he got himself to a point where he could slide away from his boyfriend, groaning as he let go of the brunet's lips.

Then with an "I'll be right back" he got up to turn on his television, flipping it to a channel he knew would have some kind of loud show with fighting and explosions in it and turning it up before crawling back between his bed curtains and securing them shut around them. That made it pretty obvious how much sound the curtains blocked, but also how much sound it still did not.

Sliding one hand beneath Sora's shirt, starting at the brunet's waist and taking the shirt with it to his boyfriend's toned chest, Riku slid back into place over Sora's hips purring at him as he did so.

"You were saying?"

o - o

Perhaps it was good that Riku's teasing offer came immediately before a heavy make-out and petting session, because his boyfriend's words left Sora so breathless and just plain _hot_ that he probably wouldn't have been able to coherently answer even if Riku had been waiting for one.

His groans were louder than usual, needy even, as Sora returned Riku's kisses and teasing touches with fervor. It had only been a week, but that had been long enough for Sora to feel like he was going nuts waiting for the next time he could see, speak to, and touch his boyfriend.

His hands moved to Riku's backside, sliding slowly over the smooth fabric of his friend's dress pants. There they remained for a moment, kneading and fluttering from one end to the other, lingering a moment longer over the seam than any other place, almost like a promise.

Sora wanted to touch Riku everywhere, wanted to be the one this time to pin his friend to the bed and just ravage.

His chance came when Riku stood up to turn on the television in a move reminiscent of their Thanksgiving tryst. Sora had planned to sit up, pulling Riku to the bed so he could bridge up over him. Then it'd be his turn to be in charge.

Except Riku didn't act in a way Sora had anticipated, instead standing at the side of the bed for a moment, sliding Sora's shirt higher up onto his chest in excruciatingly slow fashion. Sora's breath caught, and a moment later Riku was back on top of him, grinding. Sora honestly couldn't say he minded the deviation from his plans.

This time, he could feel his boyfriend's steadily growing erection beneath the fabric of both their pants. And Sora knew without a doubt that his would be just as noticeable at this point. Riku's voice initially caught the brunet off-guard, but a moment later, he recovered, his cheeks lightly flushing as he tried to explain.

"Th-this past week," he gasped out, so close to being a moan it was nearly indistinguishable from one. "I thought of you when I…" Sora cursed himself for chickening out at describing the actual act. "Because I missed you," he finished instead.

And because the thought of Riku's smooth voice speaking to him as he touched himself with Sora watching was so very, very hot. That too…

o - o

"Mmmm," Riku couldn't help but moan when Sora confessed to touching himself while thinking of him. Well, Sora hadn't actually **said** it, but Riku knew what his boyfriend had been implying. Then again, didn't he usually punish people for being shy about sexual things while doing them?

Maybe that would have been appropriate that night, but Riku was too damn impatient to get it all on with just then. He wasn't used to being separated from new fascinations once he got them, and not only was Sora apart of that particular group; he was also an obsession. Riku had gone so far as to claim he loved the brunet, though he had long been taught that gays weren't capable of that sort of emotion when it came to their partners.

Perhaps his parents had been wrong? After all, they had been wrong about it being a choice. Lord knew Riku had tried everything to get himself interested in girls during high school. There was even that one incident his first month of college that he'd very much like to forget…

So it was possible he could honestly be in love with Sora, right? Confusing as that idea was to him.

Riku slid his tongue across one of his boyfriend's nipples before he realized where his mouth had been heading, automatically distracted from his horrible thoughts by the brunet's reaction. He was not afraid to say anything in bed… he wasn't. However, as his mouth made its way steadily lower, he mumbled something against Sora's skin in a way that he hoped would make sure his boyfriend didn't actually hear. He didn't exactly want to think about those confusing feelings just now, so it would be bad if the brunet got wind of them, but that did not mean he had to hold it in, either.

"I missed you too," he mumbled against the skin of Sora's abdomen as his hands moved to undo the brunet's pants.

o - o

Riku's tongue on his bare skin sent a shiver straight through Sora's lower stomach, a pleasant if a bit immediate reminder that he was currently feeling both cold and, increasingly, hot.

As Riku moved lower, Sora felt a gentle vibration against his abdomen, as though his boyfriend was speaking. He couldn't hear anything over the TV though, except maybe the pounding of his own beating temples.

Then, hands on his waist, Sora felt Riku pulling at his belt. Making a snap decision, Sora sat up, pulling his lower body away from Riku as he nearly pounced on his boyfriend, pushing his back into the mattress in one quick motion.

He probably wouldn't have managed that if Riku had anticipated the move. Sora knew that deep down. Whatever. Sliding his own hands beneath Riku's shirt, Sora kissed Riku the way his friend seemed to prefer to be kissed: rough and hard, as his hands explored the muscled curves of Riku's defined stomach. Straddled over his boyfriend, Sora did allow himself to sit back for a moment, rubbing against Riku's lap, although it was more to lock his boyfriend's hips between his knees than truly to grind.

Kisses alternating between gentle and rough followed as Sora made his way away from Riku's mouth, down his jawline and to the hollow of the other boy's neck. There he stopped, nipping a little before applying some suction where Riku had seemed to be sensitive in their encounters before.

It wasn't much. It wasn't even as dominating as he'd planned. Still, it was a start, Sora thought hopefully to himself. And they had all night.

o - o

Riku's back hit the mattress with a grunt, and for a few moments he was too surprised to react, simply feeling the rougher way his boyfriend was kissing him. Sora was obviously not used to doing anything hard to someone else, however, because he kept softening his gestures before trying them again. He did not know what to think of his boyfriend's actions, but somehow it felt good to be explored like this. It was nice to know that the brunet wanted to appreciate his body the way he cherished Sora's.

Then his boyfriend's mouth was on his neck, playing with a sensitive spot he was not aware existed before, and the feeling good like that because of a spot that seemed before now to be completely innocent surprised him enough that Riku did not prevent the moan from slipping out from between his lips.

Without even thinking about it, he reached for Sora's hips just as they made contact with his groin. Squeezing and guiding, Riku let his boyfriend pull away before guiding his hips back down again just in time to meet his as Riku pressed against the brunet and began grinding against him a little forcefully. Sora's hands were amazing, yes, but he had not been able to touch his boyfriend in a week. Grinding was necessary.

That was where he left things, however, despite his better judgement. Sora had fought for this position, pouncing on Riku while his guard had been down, not having anticipated that his boyfriend had it in him. So instead of flipping the brunet onto his back like he wanted to, Riku waited and exerted the small control over Sora's body via the guiding hands at his boyfriend's hips. He was curious as to what Sora would do in this position if given the leeway to attempt it. Aquamarine eyes watched everything the brunet did, as he lifted his hips again to grind against Sora's groin.

o - o

He'd done it, Sora silently exulted. Part of him couldn't believe Riku was tolerating it. Another part was gloating. So much for that dickhead at the frat party. Riku'd been nothing if not kick-ass about their first time. And now this.

As he softly ground his lap into Riku's below him, Sora felt some of the old confidence return, the kind he'd used naturally while with girls, that had seemed to fail him in front of Riku and the unfamiliar almost entirely. The smile on his face was genuine, but it held just as much a teasing quality as it did a loving one.

For once, Sora didn't speak, just ground, and began sliding one hand experimentally across the front of Riku's oxford shirt. It was stiff, crisp.

Sora wanted it off.

First though, his own. Sitting up, he applied more pressure to Riku's groin as he slowly undid the buttons on his own shirt before shrugging it off. The air in Riku's room was cold, that much was obvious just from looking at his chest. But Sora was also feeling unbearably hot. It was a strange dichotomy.

He leaned forward, kissing Riku gently, lips hardly brushing Riku's at first as Sora's hand moved back up his boyfriend's chest. It stopped at Riku's nipple, brushed against it lightly, before pinching over the fabric, appreciating the feel of the hardening nub.

He'd meant to go slow, but _god_, feeling Riku beneath him was so damn hot, Sora found himself pressing his chest to Riku's, kissing harder as his fingers continued to circle Riku's nipple. A moment later, his hand had moved to the first button almost unconsciously as, between kisses, Sora began to undo the front of Riku's shirt.

o - o

Riku had honestly never had this much attention paid to his body before, at least not like this. So it was a pleasantly interesting kind of surprise to find out just how sensitive his nipples were under Sora's attentive fingertips. He moaned into his boyfriend's mouth again, using his hands to hold the brunet's hips down as he ground into them hard.

Then just when he was thinking that it was time to end this teasing and move on, Sora began to unbutton Riku's shirt for him. It was strange how appealing it was to have his boyfriend undress him. So instead of flipping the brunet over like he had been intending on doing, aquamarine eyes slipped half closed as he let himself feel surprisingly bold fingers undoing his shirt.

It was appealing, but that discomfort was slipping back in, too. Sora needed to hurry up because while part of Riku found this completely intoxicating, another part of him found it unbearable for anyone to be on top of him, confident and a little domineering in the way his boyfriend undressed him.

He is my boyfriend, my boyfriend. Boyfriend, boyfriend, boyfriend; not some strange man who picked- ugh! No.

While he chanted the new mantra in his head, cutting it off and struggling to remember what about this whole situation had turned him off in the first place, Sora seemed to have succeeded in getting his shirt undone. All of a sudden, sure hands were feeling him up and playing more directly with his nipples, causing Riku to forget his prior discomforts and moan again.

"God, Sora," he purred. "I want you. Nnnng… hurry up."

o - o

He couldn't help himself. At Riku's longing words, Sora grinned openly, pressing a little harder against Riku's groin, although the pace remained slow.

Then the smile softened, still curving the edges of Sora's lips, although not as widely, as he lowered himself back onto Riku's chest.

Sora had a thing for chests, for nipples. That much hadn't changed with the gender of his partner. Hands sliding up to Riku's neck, into his hair, Sora's lips traveled an opposite path, from his friend's throat to his shoulders and back to his chest. "You want me to hurry," he murmured, lips vibrating gently on the skin above the nipple he hadn't yet explored.

Only a moment later, his mouth engulfed it, tongue swirling slowly over the swollen nub. His teeth grazed it too, biting lightly, his own breath catching at the reaction Riku was giving him.

He felt a sharp thrust upward, Riku's hips meeting his almost harshly. Sora bore down in response, trying to trap his friend's legs further, restricting the movement.

With one blue eye, he looked up momentarily.

"Now who's being impatient, Riku?"

Sora slid downward, wondering idly how long this control would last once Riku's legs were freer to move around as they necessarily would be the moment he released them from his grip. Sora couldn't honestly say he cared all that much either way at the moment. Just as long as he was with Riku, it worked.

Of course, if Riku wanted to let him stay in control for once, Sora wasn't going to complain either.

Sliding off Riku's lap, Sora trailed his kisses down a firmly toned stomach, lingering at Riku's abdomen as he breathed in the scent that was both familiar and arousing. He spent a particularly long time kissing the hint of hair that trailed down, disappearing beneath Riku's pants. They were loving things, these kisses, and Sora savored every one individually.

Hurry, he'd heard, but he'd ignored the order. It wasn't Riku's turn to be giving them.

Just the same, Sora complied on his own time, sliding his hands up Riku's thighs and over his groin without further delay. There he kneaded, his lips lingering on the lowest point of exposed skin above Riku's belt. The material under his hands was stretched tight over heat and hardness. Riku, it seemed, was just as aroused as Sora.

This time though it was Sora's turn to moan at the realization.

o - o

"Nnnn," Riku was pretty damn sure he had never once had a partner who made him moan this much. Sora was just… different. "You know… Sora," he tried to growl, though he might have been gasping too much to really achieve it, "keep taunting me like that-ha…, and I'll show you-nnnng… what impatience really… looks… like."

Partly he was frustrated that he wasn't in control and doing what he wanted to be doing already, but another part of him was agitated and aroused and really, really nervous. His hands trembled slightly from trying to keep still, and allowing Sora to be this much in control. Besides, he did not like sounding like the weak one, moans leaving his lips the way every other guy he had been with had moaned under his ministrations.

It might have been different, and this might be Sora (and, he had to remind himself again, his boyfriend), but Riku was not used to having to be patient and waiting when he wanted something during sex. If this was anyone else he would have flipped them over and been fucking them already. Except… well, this was not anyone else, and he wanted the brunet to want to be with him.

His hands tightened unconsciously around his boyfriend's hips, not quite able to squeeze into the fists he was involuntarily attempting to make, and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment trying to remind himself that this was fine. There was seriously no need to get frustrated here.

Then the weight lifted from his body, and he felt a little bit of regret as he realized that Sora had slipped out of his grasp. Lips on his abdomen, slowly moving lower, had him groaning and tensing and willing his boyfriend to move closer… just like that… "Nnnnggh."

Then he heard Sora's moaning over his own, wondering what on earth could make his boyfriend make that noise when his hands weren't touching the brunet's toned body. Lifting his head to see what was going on, Riku's eyes widened slightly at the sight of his boyfriend sliding down between his legs, and looking very pleased with the bulge his smaller hands were creating in Riku's pants.

"Sora," he growled. "Nnng- If you don't hurry up, I'm-uh! …going to flip you over and t-take you .now. God!"

He wanted to be connected again. Once was not enough. Riku was addicted, and Sora, his boyfriend, was his fix, and by all that was sweaty and hot and wicked he was dying for a hit. Besides, how could the brunet hold out on him when he was craving that smaller body this way?

o - o

Grinning to himself, Sora ignored Riku's first words entirely, continuing with his slow ministrations, alternating between kneading the increasingly hard bulge in Riku's pants and moaning at the feel of it, softly but longingly.

There were so many things he wanted to say, so many actions he wanted to perform, but still he kept the pace slow, only stopping to look up at Riku's desperate sounding words.

Sora eyed his boyfriend with a neutral expression.

_Does that work on other guys, Riku, just telling them what to do like that? It's not going to work on me. Not without some fun on my part, at least._

Even as he thought it though, Sora felt himself twitch a little in his own pants. The thought of Riku pounding that one, pleasurable spot repeatedly within him made Sora so, so hot. He wanted to come again. He wanted Riku to make him come.

Instead, he simply stopped his kneading, watching Riku carefully. Curiously.

"You want to be in charge," he said softly. "You're telling me to hurry."

Idly, his free hand crept up Riku's thigh, going still at the seam between his hip and leg.

"If that's the case," he continued, voice still low, almost inaudible over the roaring sounds of the television behind them, "maybe you should tell me where to put it."

At the same time that Sora pursed his lips together, giving Riku a hint at what he was willing to do, he squeezed Riku's groin, gently but firmly.

Maybe it wasn't the same as being in control, letting Riku dictate what he wanted like this. But Sora didn't mind, if that's how Riku wanted to play it. All he really wanted to do was to test his friend's limits a little, to prove that asshole at the frat party wrong. Riku didn't always have to be in charge, Sora thought. Look at where he was now, after all, lying on his back and submitting apart from a few frustrated words, all the while looking absolutely amazing with that aroused expression on his face, the subtle outline of erection in his pants.

o - o

Despite his impatience and the fact that Sora stopping should have made him angry, Riku found himself grinning wickedly and sitting up on his elbows to look at his boyfriend more fully.

"Nnnngggod, Sora," he teased. "I didn't know you were like this."

More than anything he wanted to end this teasing and start working on his boyfriend's body to end these delays. How was it that Sora didn't feel like this, too? How was it even possible that he could be so damn patient when Riku wanted nothing more than to get inside of him **now**?

Then again, maybe the brunet wasn't as interested in his male body as he was interested in his boyfriends. Was it that guys who liked girls as well couldn't get as turned on by another guy? Suddenly he was worrying, doubting himself again, and the possibility that Sora really wanted him the way he wanted Sora.

What if he told his boyfriend to do something Sora didn't want to do then, and grossed his boyfriend out? Riku didn't think he could handle that right now, not with everything he was feeling lately. So he let out a shaky breath, his body screaming at him to do something, touch himself, anything! Self-assured smirk in place where it showed up out of habit as soon as he started feeling insecure, he looked down at Sora's hands.

"Do whatever you were going to do, just… seriously… hurry or… I'm… you won't have anything to play with anymore." Of course, he couldn't leave well enough alone when he was this fucking horny, either. So with a smirk on his face, he added, "If you were a good little sex slave, you'd be sucking instead of rubbing."

o - o

Catching Riku's gaze almost challengingly, Sora didn't initially respond, instead lowering himself to his boyfriend's groin, opening his mouth slightly and allowing his tongue to slide out to add a bit of pressure against the clothed erection.

He found he liked seeing Riku's reactions, so before pulling away once more, Sora raised his eyes, again fixing them on Riku's.

"What can I say," he murmured. "I'm learning from the best."

_And I so very much want to make you happy…_

The sound of tension in Riku's voice was so tantalizing, Sora almost felt like he was getting a reward for playing his part well. He wanted more, and here Riku was, offering him free reign.

Or at least it seemed like that was the case. There were more words from Riku forthcoming that Sora almost missed in his eagerness to get to work on his friend. When he heard them though, he paused. This was more like the Riku he was accustomed to in bed.

Without a word at first, Sora reached for the belt on Riku's pants, unhooking it with ease and subsequently unbuttoning and unzipping the fly. Without preamble, he pulled the pants and Riku's underwear down a few inches, freeing his boyfriend's erection in one smooth movement.

"Oh right," he said, a little surprised to hear how smooth a tone his own voice had taken. He wrapped one hand around the base of Riku's cock experimentally. "If I were a good little slave, I'd be begging you for a taste, isn't that how it works?" He began stroking slowly.

"I would have to beg just to slide my lips around you, unless you ordered me to do it, right?" The soft quality in his voice continued, unabated by the steady but slow rhythm he was keeping. It surprised Sora, how easily the words came, how unembarrassed he was to be saying them. In fact, it was almost fun, fucking around like this, getting Riku and himself so bothered just from a little talk and touch.

Again, he lowered himself, lips hovering right above Riku's tip, hot breath caressing the tight skin of Riku's cockhead. "And maybe," another breath, another teasing caress, "if I was lucky," he stroked upward, flickering his fingers over Riku's slit but keeping his eyes trained forward directly on his friend, "would you give me something to swallow for my efforts…?"

o - o

Riku couldn't take his eyes off of Sora, groaning when his boyfriend's mouth finally began touching him through his jeans. This situation was beyond strange to him, not being in control or knowing what would happen next. He wanted to say that it was thrilling, but it was actually extremely nerve-wracking.

"God, yes," he moaned, answering Sora's question without realizing that's what he was doing.

His boyfriend was driving him completely insane. Riku was losing track of things like time and place and what and why and how he had ended up at the mercy of this brunet who was shorter and noticeably scrawnier than he was, but it didn't matter and he couldn't really care.

He finally felt himself letting go and surrendering to Sora's touch, if only just a little bit. His aquamarine eyes still watched the brunet carefully, taking everything in but also watching… just in case. Not to mention that Riku could not exactly prevent his hands from stretching forward and tangling in his boyfriend's unruly hair, though that might have been a bad idea now that he thought about it because he was trembling from the effort of keeping himself from pressing Sora's head down. His body was aching to be touched.

Relaxing another degree by sheer force of will, his head finally fell back onto the bed, eyes slipping shut as he embedded his fingers deeper in his boyfriend's hair. _This is Sora_, he thought. _This is what he's like on his own. Confident, sexy Sora, who for some reason wants to be with me_.

There was no doubt that this was the most equal he had ever been with someone in bed, both treating each other as though the other's pleasure was just as important as their own. There had always been someone overpowering the other in Riku's prior experiences, and he had done his best to make sure that he was the one with all of the power in every possible scenario before now.

Now, he must have lost his mind because he had just let Sora have it, but his boyfriend wasn't dominating Riku, the brunet was teasing him. Alternating between groans and growls, Riku thought he was going to lose all of his self-control and come right then and there.

Then again, part of him was also not ready for this show to end. Part of him was damn curious about what Sora was going to do. So he managed to lift his head back up, reaching for a pillow so that the next time the muscles in his neck decided to wuss out on him, his eyes would still be in position to watch as his surprisingly flirtatious boyfriend did unspeakable things to him in his own bed. Considering the masturbation dreams he had had under these covers, this would be far too good to miss now for anything.

o - o

Part shocked, part completely delighted by the level of control he was being offered, Sora broke out of his teasing routine for a moment, eyes turning serious and adoring as he felt Riku's fingers thread through his hair. At first, he'd imagined the hands were there to pull at it, or at least press his head down against Riku's heat. But Riku was just holding on, no indication that he was trying to force Sora to do something one way or the other.

For some reason, the realization made Sora feel even hotter. Riku was letting him do what he wanted. How unexpected. How absolutely awesome.

Gently, he rose a few inches, turning his face into Riku's arm and muffling a quiet moan with his lips against the curve of Riku's wrist.

He was so hot, so ready to stop teasing and launch himself at Riku. Sora wanted to be touched so badly right now.

He also very much wanted to taste Riku and in the end the interest of seeing and hearing Riku's reactions won out over his own physical desires. Without further delay, Sora opened his mouth, letting his tongue drag across the top of Riku's penis.

It had taken a little getting used to, but Riku's scent and taste had really begun growing on him, turning into a craving whenever they'd gone too long without seeing one another. Now it was all Sora could do not to start sucking immediately.

Somehow he kept his actions slow though, sliding over and slightly into Riku's slit, not so much insistent as it was exploratory. Then he moved a little lower, feeling the ridge that led from Riku's head down to the rest of his length, hot against his tongue. Sora loved the smooth feel of this part of Riku's body, as well as the contrasting texture with the rest of Riku's cock.

And suddenly, he couldn't wait any longer, moving his hand a little faster, stroking steadily with enough pressure to satisfy for the first time that evening. The licking teases stopped too, as Sora looked up at Riku, ensuring he had his attention before opening a pair of lips already glistening a little with saliva and engulfing as much of Riku's erection as he was able into a willing, eager mouth.

There he remained a moment, looking at Riku, trying not to swallow or otherwise initiate his gag reflex. Sora had never taken Riku this deeply into his mouth before, and he found he wasn't able to hold the position for very long before he had to swallow and rise, this time sucking his way to the tip with a look of relish in his expression.

As he worked on Riku's length with his mouth and one fist, Sora's other hand moved teasingly a little lower between Riku's legs. His fingers played over Riku's ball sac momentarily, before venturing lower, caressing the clenched muscles of Riku's ass around the seam between his legs in a gentle, fluttering motion. There his fingers remained, sliding up and down the shallow valley between Riku's legs, not yet pressing deeper. Just exploring in the most loving but superficial of senses.

Before long, Sora was moaning too, almost every other stroke as he found himself clenching his own legs, trying to create some friction to satisfy his needs in the process. It was a wholly unconscious thing, but somewhat obvious what he was doing. Maybe a month ago, it would've been cause for embarrassment if he'd noticed. Now though, it simply added to the rhythm he'd set for himself with his mouth and hands on the one person he wanted to please the most.

o - o

Sora was squirming, Riku was moaning, and he wanted to be on top of and inside of the brunet now. Sure he had found himself enjoying having his boyfriend in control for a little while, and maybe he could bring himself to do it again sometime. Assuming he wanted to be tortured to the point of insanity, because that was precisely what he thought Sora was trying to do to him. It had taken every single ounce of his willpower not to force his boyfriend's mouth to do what he wanted it to do, his hand trembling the entire time.

Now, however, it was obvious that both of them were uncomfortable, and not just him anymore. So he decided to make use of the hands that were tangled in brunet hair for the first time that evening, and pulled up slightly.

Waiting until Sora's mouth left his body, Riku found himself leaning forward purring seductively to his boyfriend, "We should get you out of those tight pants, Ssorra. That can't feel good."

As he said it, his hands were sliding forward and trailing down the brunet's body starting at the first undone button of his boyfriend's shirt and moving as quickly as he knew how (Riku had some skill with quickly undoing buttons) before reaching for the top button of Sora's pants.

o - o

"Hurry up then," Sora said, his voice plaintive as he felt Riku's hands moving down his chest, button by button. Unable to stop himself, Sora leaned forward, lips eagerly finding Riku's shoulder as he bit down on his boyfriend's clavicle.

Then he moved upward, finding a tender spot in the hollow of Riku's throat and sucking eagerly, showing his own impatience once more by reaching between Riku's legs, finding heat, and stroking encouragingly. Sora didn't stop until Riku had finished unbuttoning his shirt. Even then, it was only a momentary pause as he shrugged it off his shoulders.

The trembling began when he felt Riku's hands on the waist of his pants. Unconsciously, Sora's hips pressed toward Riku, the tightness against his groin almost unbearable within its current confines.

He could feel Riku breathing heavily above him. Still testing his limits a little, Sora moved his lips up Riku's neck to his ear where, after a shuddered inhalation, he exhaled a whispered, breathless question. "Are you going to fuck me now, or this time do I get to do you?"


End file.
